Undertalia - (Hetalia Undertale Crossover)
by GeorgiaBluWaters
Summary: Years ago, the war between humans and monsters resulted in each and every monster becoming trapped underground, for all eternity. But, when Kiku Honda, a boy at age 8, falls down into the underground realm of monsters, he must find his way back to the surface. - Undertale and Hetalia Crossover - Nyotalia characters used - Disclaimer: I own neither Undertale nor Hetalia.
1. Chapter 1: Fallen Down

Chapter 1: Fallen Down

Long ago, two races ruled over Earth; humans and monsters. One day, war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were victorious. The sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell that had been taught to the humans by the monsters themselves.

The monsters have remained there for years.

Kiku opened his eyes to a blinding light from above him. Shakily, he rose to his feet, examining his surroundings. Walls of dirt and rock surrounded him, climbing up for what seemed like hundreds of miles. Directly above him, he could see sunlight. Beneath him was a large patch of golden flowers. They must've broken his fall.

 _His fall._

He had fallen while climbing the mountain. Kiku couldn't seem to remember why, though. He could remember the words of his brother,

"It's said that those who climb the mountain never return."

He had heard stories of horrifying creatures that lived beneath the mountain. Half-human, half hideous beast. His older siblings would gather around and tell stories of things, such a man with the claws of a tiger, the scales of a snake, and the teeth of a shark.

It was followed up with something along the lines of, 'you're too young to understand, anyway.' Though Kiku was very young, he wasn't stupid. He was the youngest of his family back home, at the age of 8 years old, but he never did anything foolish.

He exhaled and looked around once more, noticing a small door-like path sitting behind him. Kiku began to follow the path without thinking. Somehow, he did not feel frightened or nervous. Although he didn't know why he was where he was, Kiku felt he was meant to be there.

Kiku continued down the path way, pausing when he saw another beam of light. Hurrying towards it, the young boy entered another small area, with walls of dark soil and gravel. He focused on the center of the room, where another opening was, revealing the light from the surface. In the center of the room was a large flower with golden petals.

"P-Pardon me… hello…?"

Kiku jumped, searching frantically.

 _Where had that voice come from?_

There was no one in the room except for him, along with the flower. Kiku took a closer look at the flower, only to see it looking right back at him. It was _living!_

"H-Hi! It's nice to meet you!" said the flower, a bit quietly at first, "Hmm… You're new to the Underground, aren't you?"

Kiku nodded hesitantly.

"Oh, well, gosh. You must be so confused," the flower replied, laughing a bit, "Someone ought to show you how things work around here. I guess I'll have to do!"

The flower reached into the soil with one of his leaves, pulling out… a lollipop?

"Here! For you! You took a pretty nasty fall, so I thought you might want this!" the flower beamed.

Kiku paused, suddenly extremely hesitant.

"C'mon," the flower smiled sweetly, "I don't bite!"

Kiku took the piece of candy, earning a warm smile from the flower.

"Now, here in the Underground, we spread as much love as possible!" The flower smiled. Kiku noticed that the flower's smile was almost constant.

As Kiku placed the lollipop in his mouth he continued to examine the flower's smile. He usually wouldn't accept sweets from an absolute stranger, but the flower seemed extremely trustworthy. Yet, the flower's smile began to seem almost taunting.

Suddenly Kiku felt his lungs and mouth burn. He dropped the piece of candy, as he stumbled back in a fit of coughs. He felt like he could barely breathe as his surroundings became blurred. Doubled over, his chest heaved in and out as his vision began to clear.

"You _idiot!_ " laughed the flower.

Kiku felt thorny vines wrap themselves around his ankles. His eyes shot up to see the flower's face, in a twisted, dark grin. His eyes were black, yet blazing with a wicked darkness.

"In this world, it's _kill or be killed!_ " the flower cackled, dragging Kiku closer.

Kiku struggled, calling for help, when suddenly, he felt a blazing heat as he dropped to the ground.

Opening his eyes, Kiku noticed that the flower was gone, and the thorny vines had vanished. There were scorch marks on the ground in front of him.

Vision blurry, Kiku looked up to see a young man, turned away. For a split second, Kiku noticed that there were flames dancing in the palm of his hands, before they disappeared, too.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth," the man's voice said. Kiku examined that the man had pale skin and blonde hair, and, though he was taller than Kiku, he was a bit shorter than most.

As the man turned around, Kiku noticed that he was, in fact, not a "man."

Protruding from his scruffy hair, he had long, snowy white ears that framed the sides of his face, similar floppy ears of a rabbit. Above those ears were two small, white horns.

"Ah," said the man, when Kiku's eyes met his emerald ones, beneath thick eyebrows, "Do not be afraid, my child. I am Arthur, caretaker of the Ruins."

Kiku, still shaken, simply stared at Arthur when he extended his hand to help the boy up.

"I pass by this place every day to see if someone has fallen down…" Arthur said, looking painfully reminiscent, "You are the first human to come here in a long time…"

Kiku slowly reached out and took Arthur's hand, and Arthur gently pulled him to his feet.

"There," Arthur said, gently straightening the shirt that Kiku was wearing, "Come! I will lead you through the catacombs."

Arthur began to walk, Kiku trailing along behind. Arthur lead him bast a few stone pillars, and Kiku paid attention to each and every beautiful detail. Although there was no sunlight, the stone architecture seemed to radiate a lavender light. After a few moments, they reached a flight of stairs, that lead to what looked like an abandoned castle, glowing with the same violet haze. The garden seemed like it was full of red roses, but the flowers were unlike anything Kiku had ever seen. Though the was crumbled and chipped, Kiku pictured what its sheer beauty what might once have been. They had surely arrived at the Ruins.

Seeing the shadows of the Ruins restored Kiku with a sense of determination.

He entered the castle, greeted with a room crafted beautifully out of stone bricks, faded and cracked, similar stone pillars aligning the walls and doorways.

"Er, well…" Arthur said, "Welcome to your new home, little one. Allow me to educate you on the operation of the Ruins."

Arthur closed his eye, as his palm began to glow like the embers of a fire. He pressed his palm against a brick in the wall. Opening his eyes, he twisted the brick, and the wall began to shift, until a door formed in front of the two. Kiku's eyes widened. Arthur motioned for Kiku to follow, as he turned and exited through the newly created door. The young boy trailed close behind.

"The Ruins are full of puzzles," explained Arthur, "Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

Kiku nodded, still marveling at the sheer magic that surrounded him. Written on a stone sign that hung on the wall were the words, 'Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road.'

The two continued onwards, passing small fountains and broken statues along their way. Arthur spoke to Kiku every now and then.

"As a human living in the Underground, monsters may try to attack you…" Arthur said.

Kiku's eyes widened, and Arthur stopped walking.

"W-What? Oh, I'm sorry… did I scare you…? Do forgive me." Arthur said.

Kiku shook his head. He looked up at Arthur.

"You…. refer to yourselves as 'monsters?'" Kiku asked quietly.

Arthur looked surprised. It was the first time Kiku had spoken.

"Why, yes," Arthur replied, "It's what we are, just as you are human. Why do you ask?"

Kiku looked down at his feet, "Where I'm from, i-it means a 'hideous beast.'"

"Oh," Arthur said silently. Kiku noticed the small bit of hurt in his eyes, before it was erased, "Well, if a monster does attack you, you'll need to prepare for the situation. However, worry not. The solution is simple. Fighting is unnecessary. Simply, strike up a conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict.

Arthur stepped in front of Kiku.

"Here, practice talking to me," Arthur said.

Kiku, looked down, "I'm not good at talking…"

Arthur's expression softened, "Don't worry, love. Neither are most of the monsters around here. _They really don't get out much_."

Kiku laughed a bit as Arthur whisper-shouted the last part.

He looked up at Arthur, "Hello. How has your day been today?"

"Ah, very good!" Arthur beamed, "You are very, very good."

Kiku looked up at Arthur's smiling face. He noticed that Arthur had two small fangs in his mouth, which caused him to smile as well. Suddenly, Arthur froze.

"A-Ah," Arthur said, "I just realized, I must attend to some business. You must stay alone for a short while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself."

Kiku nodded slowly, slightly saddened by being left alone.

"I have an idea," said Arthur, reaching into his pocket, "I will give you a cell phone. If you need anything, just call. Be good, alright?"

After a few minutes of waiting, Kiku became restless. Though his better judgement said not to, Kiku left the room Arthur instructed him to stay in. He began to walk, when suddenly his cell phone rang.

"Hello," Kiku said quietly, holding the phone up to his ear.

"Hello? It's Arthur," Arthur's voice said through the static of the small phone, "For no particular reason, which do you prefer, cinnamon or butterscotch?"

A bit confused, Kiku replied, "Cinnamon."

"Oh, I see. Thank you very much!"

The phone clicked, and Arthur hung up, Kiku doing the same as he continued to walk, only to be stopped by another phone ring, seconds later. Kiku answered the call.

"Hello? This is Arthur, again. You don't _dislike_ butterscotch, though, do you? I know what your preference is, but would you turn up your nose if you found it in your plate?" Arthur quickly stopped himself, "Right, right, I understand. Uh… never mind. Thank you for being patient, by the way!"

The phone clicked, and Arthur hung up once more, giving Kiku a chance to examine his surroundings. He was in another large room, decorated with roses, like the ones in the garden. The boy jumped when he saw what was in the center of the room, blocking his path. Another monster. A ghost. He seemed to be asleep.

'Zzzzzz….'

Kiku tilted his head to the side in confusion. The ghost was just repeating the letter 'Z' out loud, pretending to be asleep. As Kiku continued to observe the ghost when he heard him mumble, "Are you gone yet?"

Kiku nudged the ghost, remembering that Arthur had instructed him to make small talk.

"What's your name?" Kiku asked.

The ghost mumbled quietly, still refusing to get up off the ground.

"...Toris?"

The ghost looked up.

Kiku looked back, "That's, um, what you said your name was, right?"

"Why would anyone care anyway…?" Toris sighed, as he rose from the ground, a melancholy expression on his face.

Kiku wondered what to do to not only help the ghost, but to get past him as well. Noticing his gloomy attitude, Kiku gave the ghost a patient smile.

"Wait…" Toris said, perking up a bit, "You're not scared of me?"

Kiku noticed the expression on the ghost's face change, as Toris eagerly awaited a response. Kiku smiled and shook his head.

"Oh, gosh…" said Toris, "I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody here. But, today I actually met somebody nice…"

Kiku felt himself smile, although he thought about Toris' words. Nobody ever comes to the ruins? Does that mean that Arthur is left here all alone? Arthur _did_ say that he's the caretaker of this place. Kiku was snapped out of his thoughts once he heard Toris's voice.

"Oh… I'm rambling again, sorry… I'll get out of your way…"

And, just like that, Toris had disappeared into thin air. Kiku wanted to call out, 'wait,' but Toris had already left.

As Kiku continued onward, he began to see more and more monsters. This was really going to take some getting used to. He stopped when he heard the small voice of a little girl,

"Spider Scout bake sale! All money is donated to the Spider Scouts!"

He turned to see a girl his age with shoulder-length blonde hair, tied in a purple ribbon, her blue eyes wide. She was sitting behind a table, hand made out of a cardboard box.

"Hey, you're a human!" the girl said shyly, looking amazed.

Kiku only nodded, still not sure if she was a monster herself. Maybe she was a human, too! The girl rose to her feet, and Kiku suddenly realized how she was a monster. Not only did she have the same small fangs as Arthur, but she had six arms.

Kiku suddenly realized, six arms and two legs makes eight. Spider scouts.

"Are you a spider monster?" he said, feeling his face heat up once he realized that he had said it aloud. The girl nodded with a smile, but it slowly faded.

"A-Are you… afraid of me..?" she said, tears filling her big, turquoise eyes.

"No!" said Kiku, quickly. He stepped forward, "I apologize. What's your name?"

"Lili," the girl said.

Kiku smiled, "How much is a Spider Scout cookie…?"

Lili's eyes lit up, "R-Really?"

Kiku nodded.

"Three gold pieces."

Kiku looked at the change in his pocket, then back to her, "O-oh, I… I only have human money."

"Wait! Can I sell it to you for that?" Lili said excitedly.

"Seriously? You don't have to," Kiku said kindly.

"I've always wanted real, human money," she said.

Kiku smiled a bit. He took all the change from his pocket. Every last cent. Lili's eyes sparkled as he said, "You can keep all of it."

Lili simply smiled wide, "Someday, we're going to live up there…"

Kiku felt a bit saddened by her hope and optimism, but he continued to walk. Slipping the baked good into his pocket. He was going to have a lot of trouble getting used to all of the strange things around each turn, but he could do it.

Kiku stopped once he had wandered so far that he had long exited the castle. Well, at least it didn't look like the inside of the castle anymore. In front of him was a smaller-looking cottage. He could hear a familiar voice coming from it,

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would."

The door to the cottage opened, and out stepped Arthur. He took out his phone, but stopped once he saw Kiku.

"Love, how did you get here? Are you hurt?" he glared, "If someone did something to you, you better believe you will get an apology."

Kiku reassuringly smiled.

Arthur's expression softened, as he sighed, "I should not have left you alone. That was irresponsible to try and surprise you with something like thi-"

He stopped, getting a bit red.

"Er, well," he laughed a bit, "I guess I can't hide it much longer. Come along."

Arthur took Kiku's hand, leading him into the small cottage. The inside had wooden floors and a warm glow, books lining the walls. Arthur quickly grabbed something from a nearby table, turning around.

"Surprise! It's a butterscotch and cinnamon pie!" he said kindly, "I know it's a bit burnt along the edges, but thought we should celebrate your arrival."

Kiku smiled at the new home, listening to Arthur ramble.

"I want you to have a nice time living here. Oh! I have another surprise for you," Arthur said, leading Kiku down a hallway. He opened one of the wooden doors, watching Kiku's smiling expression. He ran his fingers soothingly through the young boy's hair,

"It's a room of your very own. I hope you like it. Go ahead, make yourself at home. I'll be in the living room."

Kiku stepped into the room, looking at the small bed, surrounded with stuffed animals. There was a small writing desk, and an empty child's wardrobe. Sitting on the writing desk were several empty photo frames, covered in dust. Kiku found it a bit strange that Arthur lived alone. _Maybe he's watched over a child before_.

Kiku remembered what he had said. " _You're the first human to fall down here in a long time."_

Choosing not to think much about the subject, Kiku made his way to the living room.

Before entering, Kiku stopped in the doorway, to see Arthur, sitting in a reading chair, with oversized reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He held a large hardback book as he rocked back and forth in the chair, humming to himself.

Kiku felt himself yawn, realizing that it had been a while since he'd slept. It would be best if he headed back to his new room. Quietly, so not to disturb Arthur, he made his way back to the small bed, laying down and closing his eyes.

Kiku stretched as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Having no clue what time it was, he looked around the room, only to find the lights off, and a slice of butterscotch cinnamon pie sitting on the table. Arthur must have been the one behind it.

Getting out of bed, Kiku walked to the living room. Arthur sat in his reading chair like before, but this time he was asleep, the large glasses slightly falling off of his face. Kiku accidentally nudged the bookshelf on his way in, causing Arthur to jump, startled.

"O-Oh," said Arthur, "You're up so soon."

Kiku smiled slightly, nodding.

Arthur took the glasses off of his face, "You know, I really am happy you're here with me. I have so many stories to share with you. I could even teach you. This may come as a surprise, but I've always wanted to be a teacher."

Kiku looked up at him, when Arthur tilted his head a bit.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want something? What's wrong?"

Kiku looked down at the floor, "...I… I, um…"

Arthur's expression changed. It appeared sadder, as if he knew what was coming.

"How…" Kiku mumbled, "How do I get home…?"

Arthur's face grew solemn, "I… I have to do something."

Arthur quickly stood, hurrying down the hall without turning back.

"W-Wait!" Kiku called out, following.

As Kiku ran into the hallway, he noticed a flight of stairs that he hadn't seen, behind a usually closed door, that had been flung open. Knowing that Arthur had gone that way, Kiku slowly made his way down the staircase.

It lead him to a long, dark hallway. Kiku stopped dead in his tracks once he saw Arthur. He had his back facing Kiku. Kiku couldn't see Arthur's face, but his voice was shaking.

"You wish to know how to return "home," do you…" his caretaker said. His voice sounded unlike it had before. Slightly more cynical. More broken.

Kiku stepped forward, extending his hand like he had before. Arthur didn't turn around.

"Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground," Arthur said.

Kiku could see his hands trembling.

"I'm going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again," Arthur said.

Kiku continued to extend his hand, waiting for Arthur to turn around and take it. But he never did.

"Be good, and go upstairs…" Arthur said quietly, as he began to walk.

Kiku, refusing to leave his side, followed, shaking his head.

Arthur turned a sharp corner, Kiku still following. Arthur's hands were still shaking.

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate," Arthur said, refusing to look Kiku in the eye, "I've seen it time and time again. They come. They leave. They die."

Kiku grabbed onto the sleeve of Arthur's shirt, but Arthur refused to look back.

"You're so naive…" Arthur said, "If you leave… They… The King… I'm only protecting you, don't you understand? Please, go upstairs…"

Arthur pulled his arm free of the child's grasp and continued to walk. Kiku refused to leave.

"This is your final warning," Arthur said sternly.

They reached the end of the hallway. All that was left was a large door. Arthur stopped, Kiku stopping behind him.

"You want to leave so badly…" Arthur said, laughing bitterly, "You're just… just like all the others…"

Kiku stepped forward. He touched Arthur's arm, but Arthur pulled away.

"Look at me…" Kiku said, louder than usual.

Arthur let out a shaky breath, "Prove to me… Prove to me you will be strong enough out there… You have to be able to fight… You have to defend yourself…"

Arthur turned around, his suddenly lifeless eyes meeting the child's. He raised his hands, fire blazing from his palms, blocking the door.

Kiku stepped back. _Talk to him. Talk to him…_

His mind was racing.

"Arthur…" Kiku said, "I don't want to fight."

Arthur took a deep breath, and shot, the blazing flames colliding with the stone wall behind the boy, who carefully moved out of the way.

"Arthur, _stop fighting!_ " Kiku shouted.

Arthur still didn't respond, firing once more, a great pain behind his eyes.

Kiku barely made it out of the way, the spell grazing against his arm. He was sent stumbling backwards. Arthur winced, looking away, unable to see what he'd done, but knowing there was no backing down.

Kiku stood upright, looking up to meet Arthur's gaze. He stood directly in front of Arthur, whose hands still held the balls of crackling fire. Kiku simply extended his hand, just like he had done multiple times before.

"...N-No…" Arthur whispered, fire still blazing.

Kiku didn't move, still holding out his arm.

"What are you trying to prove by this?!" Arthur said, his voice weakened and breaking.

Kiku stood vigil, refusing to break.

"Fight or leave!"

Kiku looked directly into Arthur's eyes, waiting for him to take his hand.

"S-Stop…" said Arthur, closing his eyes and looking away, "Stop looking at me that way!"

Arthur's expression began to shift from rage to heartbreak.

"I… I know you want to get home… But please… please go upstairs…"

Kiku shook his head. Arthur turned his head, tears in his eyes.

"I promise… I can take good care of you…" he managed out, his voice wavering, "I don't have much… but…. I can… I could…"

The flames in Arthur's hands grew weak and distinguished, as he held his head in his hands.

"W-Why are you making this so difficult?"

Kiku put his hand down, stepping forward.

Arthur trembled, running a hand through Kiku's hair as he knelt down, the tears falling down his face. Kiku placed his small hand on Arthur's face, wiping them away tenderly.

Arthur laughed sadly, "It's pathetic, is it not…? I cannot save a single child…"

Kiku frowned, once again looking at Arthur's green eyes.

"No… I understand…" Arthur said, "You would be unhappy trapped down here… The Ruins are so small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this."

Arthur took a deep breath, a sad smile crossing his face.

"My expectations… my fears… my loneliness…" he said shakily, "For you, love, I will put them all aside."

Arthur stood, taking a deep breath.

"If you truly wish to leave the Ruins, I will not stop you," he said, "However, once you do leave, please… please do not come back… I hope you understand."

Kiku suddenly stepped forward grabbing onto Arthur's legs in a tight hug. Arthur felt his eyes brim with tears once again, as he knelt down and held onto Kiku, embracing the small child.

He stood, smiling at Kiku.

"Goodbye, my child…"

Arthur exited back down the hallway, turning to look at Kiku one last time, before vanishing into the darkness of the empty home.

Kiku watched as Arthur left, turning to face the door. Inhaling deeply, he braced himself, pushing the door to the outside world open.


	2. Chapter 2: Snowdin

Chapter 2: Snowdin

Kiku made his way out the door, and down another long, empty path. It seemed even lonelier now that he didn't have a guiding hand to hold along the way. Just thinking about it made him want to run back to the Ruins. Back to what could've been his "new home," but he knew he needed to stay determined.

He continued to trudge onward for what felt like miles, until he reached yet another clearing. In the middle of the room, there was none other than a golden flower with a menacing expression. Kiku warily stepped away.

"Clever," said the flower, " _Very clever._ "

Kiku opened his mouth to speak to the flower, but his words had run dry.

"You think you're _really_ smart, don't you? Didn't I tell you, 'it's kill or be killed?' But, you managed to play by your own rules, didn't you? You spared the life of a single person."

Again, Kiku attempted to say something, but to no avail.

"Ha, I bet you feel really great," said the flower, his face growing more and more twisted, "But, what if you meet a relentless killer? You'll die. Or, you'll fail over and over. Then what? Will you kill out of frustration? Or, will you give up on this world, and give _me_ the power to control it?"

Kiku shook his head meekly, feeling his breath hitch in nervousness.

"I will be the _king_ of the Underground!" The flower laughed, his grimacing smile looking more haunting than ever, "But don't you worry, my little monarch, my plan isn't regicide. I'll let you live. This is _so_ much more interesting."

And, with that, the flower ducked down, disappearing under the ground. Kiku stood still for a while, catching his breath. Just when Kiku thought the flower had left him for good, after Arthur had driven him away, Kiku thought he would never hee the flower again.

 _I guess I can't predict what's to come in a place such as this,_ Kiku thought.

Kiku noticed a rather large door on the other side of the opening. He quickly walked forward, not knowing what was ahead. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, met with a blinding white light and a gust of cold wind.

Kiku adjusted himself to the sight before him. A long, dirt path, surrounded by vast, snowy woods. Thousands of tall, bare trees stood vigil, almost like soldiers in formation. Kiku took a step out, his boot crunching against the snow. A chill was sent down his spine, as he decided to stay on the dirt path. He looked behind him at the colossal stone wall, taking in the purple aura one last time as the door fell shut. There was no going back now.u

Kiku began to walk, not knowing where he was headed. He glanced over to a snow-covered bush, to see something glistening. Curiously, he stepped forward. He jumped once he realized that it was a camera lens.

Someone was watching him.

Kiku uncomfortably turned away, looking around for other signs of cameras, but to no avail. He quickly continued walking, trying to get as far away from the bush as possible.

As Kiku continued, he maneuvered through the woods, stepping around large stones and twigs in the path. Trying not to think of the mysterious camera, he jumped over a large, tough-looking branch. He continued on and on through the woods, but suddenly…

 _Crack._

Startled, Kiku turned around to see that the branch had been snapped in two, like it was nothing. He looked back and forth, but no one could be seen. Kiku began to walk a little faster. He could hear his own footsteps. They were a bit louder, he looked around once more, tripping a bit when he saw it.

There was a shadow walking past the trees. It was there only for a split second. Kiku began to run down the dirt trail, stopping once he reached a bridge, that extended over a cliff-like hole of snow and ice. Kiku felt his heart sink, not wanting to step foot onto the wooden bridge.

The footsteps behind him grew closer and closer. Kiku froze, not wanting to look. The footsteps came to a stop, and Kiku felt the presence of something else near him.

"Human," said a frightening voice.

Kiku didn't dare to breathe, closing his eyes tight, refusing to look behind him.

"Don't you know…" said the voice, "...how to greet a new friend?"

Kiku opened his eyes, a wave of confusion sweeping over him.

"Turn around and shake my hand."

Kiku slowly turned, greeted with a tall figure, hidden in the shadows of a large tree, with an extended palm. Hesitantly, Kiku took his hand, only to jump back when he felt a jolt. What the figure did next surprised him. It laughed. Real and genuine.

"Joy buzzer in the hand trick!" the figure exclaimed, revealing himself from the shadows, "It's _always_ funny!"

Kiku examined the young man in pure shock. He looked like a human at first, until Kiku saw the other half of his face. One of his eyes was a bright blue, the other pitch black. Half of his jaw was completely gone, but replaced with the one of a skeleton. One of his arms was the same, along with one of his legs.

"What's the matter? Never seen bones before?" he asked, "anyway, you're human, right?"

Kiku nodded slowly, earning a huge grin from the half-skeleton.

"Ha! That's hilarious," he laughed, "I'm Alfred!"

Kiku smiled a bit, deciding to trust Alfred. Alfred looked around for a second, still sporting a large smile.

"I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now," he said, "But, y'know, I don't really care much about capturing anybody… My brother on the other hand… Well, er, not actually. We're not related. Nowhere close, really. Anyway, he's a human-hunting _fanatic_!"

Alfred was interrupted by another pair of footsteps from across the bridge.

"Actually, that might be him now…" Alfred suddenly stepped onto the bridge, "I have an idea. Come with me!"

Kiku curiously followed Alfred, as he excitedly moved over to another part of the woods. There was something that looked like a hand-made lemonade stand along the pathway.

"Here, hide under that table!" Alfred said enthusiastically.

Kiku ducked under the small, wooden table, as he heard Alfred move to the center of the path.

"Hey, Feli," Alfred said. Kiku listened closely, hearing a new voice.

"Hi Al-" the voice suddenly coughed, "Wait… No, I'm supposed to be mad at you! It's been eight days and all you've been doing is sitting outside your station! What have you been doing?"

 _So that's what this stand is,_ thought Kiku.

"Staring under this table," said Alfred, "It's really cool. You should look."

"I don't have time, I have to practice!" said the new voice, 'Feli,' "I've gotta catch a human! I have to be the one! If I do, I'll get to join the Royal Guard!"

"Why? 'Cause Ludwig is a part of it?" Alfred asked.

"Well, yeah!" Feli replied, "And, also, people would ask to be my friend! I would get to wake up to all of my friends every morning!"

"Hmm…" Alfred's voice said, "Maybe this table can help you."

"Tables can't help me!"

"Hey, take it easy! I've gotten a _ton_ of work done today," said Alfred's joking voice, "A Skele _ton_."

Feli's voice groaned, "Alfred!"

"Oh, come on! You're totally smiling!"

"I am! And I hate it!" Feli's voice sighed, "Why do I have to do so much, just to get people to notice me?"

"Wow… sounds like you're really working yourself down to the _bone._ " Alfred's voice said, bursting into a fit of laughter.

"I'm going to go work on some of my traps," Feli's voice said.

Kiku could hear him move away, until all traces of his presence were gone.

"Alright, you can come out now!" said Alfred.

Kiku crept out from under the table, to see Alfred leaning against a tree.

"You better get going, kid," Alfred said, "He might come back. And if he does, you'll have to sit through even more of my hilarious jokes."

Kiku nodded. He noticed the expression on Alfred's face change.

"Actually, hey," Alfred said, "I hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?"

Alfred stood up straight, brushing a bit of snow off of his shoulder.

"Feliciano has been kinda down lately," Alfred explained, looking off into the distance, "He's never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make him happy, like he usually is."

Alfred quickly looked at Kiku, smiling reassuringly.

"Don't worry, he's not dangerous. Even if he tries to be," said Alfred, a hopeful look on his face.

Kiku thought a bit, looking back at Alfred. Smiling, Kiku nodded.

"Thanks a million!" Alfred said, "I'll meet you up ahead!"

Alfred then turned, and walked the opposite direction, which Kiku found slightly strange, but decided to ignore anyway as he continued to make his way through the woods.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Kiku began to hear voices in the distance. He peeked around the corner to see Alfred, standing with someone he'd never seen before. He had copper-brown hair, and one brown eye, the other one black, like Alfred's. In fact, he had the arm and leg of a skeleton, as well, along with his jaw.

 _This must be Feli,_ thought Kiku.

Kiku began to walk towards them.

"So, anyway," said Feli, "about Julchen-"

Kiku cleared his throat, stepping out from behind a rather large rock. Feli stopped talking immediately. Feli looked at Kiku, then to Alfred, then back to Kiku, then back to Alfred. Feli tugged Alfred's sleeve, whisper-shouting dramatically.

"Al," he said, his voice squeaking, "Is that a human?!"

"Uh," Alfred said playfully, "Actually, I think that's a rock."

Feli looked confused, "Oh."

Alfred laughed a bit, "Hey, what's that in front of the rock?"

"Oh my gosh!" Feli said, overly excited, suddenly pausing to whisper, "...is that a human…?"

Alfred grinned and whispered back, "Yes."

Feli's eyes grew wide, jumping up and down, "Oh my gosh! Alfred! I did it! Julchen's gonna… I'm gonna… I'll be part of the royal guard! I'll be so popular!"

Feli suddenly regained his posture, putting on a stern expression as best as he could, barely containing the excitement behind his eyes. Er… eye.

"Attention, human!" he said, "You shall not pass this area! I, the great Feliciano, will stop you!"

Alfred could barely hide his laughter, as Kiku watched the scene unfold in front of him.

"I… I will then capture you!" Feliciano said eagerly, "I will then deliver you to the capital! Then! _Then!_ ...I'm not sure what's next."

Kiku looked at Alfred, as if asking for an explanation, but Alfred only shrugged.

"In any case," Feliciano continued, "Continue only if you dare!"

That being said, Feliciano eagerly ran ahead, leaving Kiku and Alfred behind.

"Well, that went well," said Alfred, looking at Kiku's expression, "Don't sweat it, kid. I'll keep an eye out for ya."

Alfred then turned to chase after his "brother."

Kiku found himself walking through a new part of the woods. A frozen stream ran nearby, chunks of ice drifting past him as he continued to walk. He came across another wooden stand. On the front of it, there was a sign. Kiku moved closer so he could read it.

'You are observing this well-crafted sentry station! Who could have built this, you're pondering. I bet it was that very famous Royal Guardsman! (Note: not yet a very famous Royal Guardsman.)'

Kiku felt himself let out a small laugh. Feliciano must have written the sign. A few feet ahead, he came across yet another small sign that read,

'North: ice

South: ice

West: ice

East: Snowdin Town (and ice)'

Deciding that East was the best direction, Kiku followed the arrow that pointed that way. Kiku suddenly came across the same voices, yet again. This must be the first "trap."

"The human has arrived!" Feliciano eagerly said, "In order to stop you, we have created some puzzles!"

Kiku looked at the two in confusion, seeing absolutely nothing in front of him.

"What you're looking at is an invisible electricity maze!" Feli said excitedly, "If you touch the invisible walls, you'll be zapped! Sound like fun? Because I can assure you, the amount of fun you'll have is… uh… actually rather small I think…"

Kiku made eye contact with Alfred, who only laughed, shaking his head.

"Okay, you can go ahead now!" Feliciano said.

Kiku stepped back, unsure if there really was an invisible maze. He suddenly thought of a plan. In a few quick steps, Kiku walked around the "maze."

Feli gasped, "Incredible! You solved it so easily! I… uh… I'm not sure what to do now… But don't worry! I will come up with a plan! Yeah! Be warned, human!"

Feli then turned and excitedly ran.

"I'm not sure what he's off to do now," Alfred laughed, "But, at least he's happy."

Kiku smiled, though a bit confused. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

Kiku felt the soft snow crunch beneath his feet. He had been walking east for quite some time, when he stumbled upon a quaint little village, where the snow-covered pines were adorned with brightly shining christmas lights, and the small cottages had matching warm glows coming from inside.

He couldn't help but smile when his eyes fell upon the large greeting sign that said, 'Welcome to Snowdin Town!'

There were a few friendly shops and inns scattered about. One of the doors to the shop opened, and a woman… er… monster stepped out onto the snowy path, adjusting her mittens so they covered her hands completely. She had large, ruby colored horns that emerged from her wavy, light brown hair, and she was carrying a brown package in her hand. Kiku dropped his gaze once her dark green eyes met his.

"Oh, hello!" she chirped, "I can't remember the last time I saw a new face here. Are you visiting Snowdin? Where are you from, the capital? We don't get a lot of tourists here."

Kiku simply looked up at her, unsure how to respond.

"Oh, not the talker, huh?" she said, "I'm Elizabeta. And, don't worry, you'll get used to it here. Everyone's pretty nice. You could come visit my shop, or the inn down the road. Oh, and Roderich's restaurant is down the road. Poor guy always wanted to be a musician, though."

Kiku smiled, feeling himself warm up to the stranger.

"And if you're bored, you could just watch those two weird skeletons do, uh, whatever they usually do," Elizabeta laughed, "There's two of them. Brothers, they call themselves. They just showed up one day and asserted themselves. The town has gotten a lot more interesting since then."

Kiku laughed, nodding in understanding. Alfred and Feliciano had definitely made his journey more interesting, as well.

Elizabeta sighed, "But, I guess life here is still the same as usual. A bit claustrophobic… but, we all know deep down that freedom is coming, don't we? As long as we've got our hope, we can grit our teeth and face the same struggles, day after day. That's life, isn't it?"

Elizabeta suddenly jumped, "Oh, God. I forgot that I have to bring this package to the inn!"

She turned to Kiku, kneeling down to shake his hand while offering him a kind smile. Kiku gently shook her mittened hand, noticing that it was unusually warmer than his. Maybe all monster's hands felt that way.

"Bye, then!" she said, standing and quickly jogging over to a cottage, with the words 'Snowed Inn' painted above the door.

Kiku then noticed a wooden house, with a broken picket fence around it. He approached the outside of the house to see two mailboxes. One was filled to the brim with letters, and the other one said 'Feliciano.'

Deciding not to invade private property, he continued along the path, next to a frozen stream of water. It was only then that he noticed that the air had become even colder. Not just that, but foggier, almost as if he was walking among a cloud. He could see a figure, but could not make out who it was. Then, it became all too clear who was standing in front of him.

"Human," Feliciano's voice said, "Allow me to express some complex feelings. Feelings like… like the joy of finding a super-awesome-almost-royal-guardsman! Or the amazingness of finding the world's best pasta chef! The desire to have a cool, awesome person think that you're cool, too! Obviously, these must be the things you are feeling right now!"

Kiku could see Feliciano excitedly smiling through the fog.

"After all, I've been told I'm very great," Feliciano beamed, "Well, by Alfred. But, that doesn't matter. I'm still very great! A-And I don't ever wonder what having lots of friends is like! I pity you, lonely human!"

Feliciano was practically buzzing with energy as he spoke to Kiku.

"But, worry not, human!" he said confidently, "You shall be lonely no longer! I'll be your-"

He suddenly stopped, mid-sentence. His expression quickly changed.

"Wait!" he said, stepping back, "No, no, this is all wrong! I can't be your friend! You're a human! I must capture you! Then, I'll be in the Royal Guard!"

Feliciano stood up straight, "Attention, human! I will fight!"

"Hey, uh, sup…" said Alfred's voice, coming from behind Kiku, "What's going on, kid? Oh, hey Feli."

"Oh! Perfect! You're just in time for my big fight!" Feli said, dragging out a small boombox from behind a tree.

Alfred raised an eyebrow, "Dude, have you been preparing for this…?"

"You better believe it! I need background music!" Feliciano said, striking a confident pose, "Alright! It's time for my big moment! Hit it, Alfred!"

"Okay," said Alfred, who reached down, hitting the boombox.

"No! Play the music!" Feliciano said.

"Okay," said Alfred, who pushed the play button, as dramatic background music began to play. Feliciano eagerly nodded, as he grinned confidently.

"Ready for this, human?" Feliciano asked.

"I don't think anyone is ready for what's about to happen," Alfred said.

"You just don't understand perfection!" Feliciano replied, "Now! Get ready to fight, human! Because, I, The Great Feliciano, have immense amounts of skill when it comes to fighting! That's why Julchen wants me to be the co-captain of the royal guard!"

"But, aren't you still in training?" Alfred asked.

"Hey! That doesn't mean I lied!" Feliciano said, as Kiku just stood and watched the two go back and forth.

"Nevermind all this!" Feliciano said, "Now! Now, I will figh-"

Feliciano was interrupted when he realized that Alfred had changed his background music to a new, catchy beat.

"Alfred!" Feliciano said, "Change it back!"

"Whyyy?" Alfred grinned, "I think it sounds really cool!"

"Well, I think it sounds like _not Feliciano the Royal-Guardsman_ , which is the worst kind of sound to be!" Feliciano stubbornly exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry then," Alfred laughed.

"It's okay, Alfred! I already forgave you!" Feliciano smiled.

"Well, forgiving seems to be the only thing you're doing right now, so good job, bro!" Alfred replied through laughter.

"You're officially unforgiven, Al!" Feliciano huffed, "Hey! Human! Where do you think you're going! We still have to fight!"

Feliciano and Alfred simultaneously turned to see that Kiku had stepped back.

"I knew it! Even the human doesn't respect me!" Feliciano said, a bit sadly.

Alfred's expression changed, bolting to his side, "Hey, hey, bro, no, no, no that's not true!"

"It's not?" Feliciano asked.

"No! The human was, just, uh, asking for you to spare them! Yeah!" Alfred said, sending a glance at Kiku, then back at Feliciano.

"O-Oh…!" Feliciano said, "Well, then. Human! I will spare you!"

Alfred's usual smile returned to his face, "Nice! Good job!"

"But…" Feliciano said, "Julchen… She'll be so disappointed. I won't make it into the royal guard. Nobody will ever want to-"

"I-I'll, um, be your friend," Kiku said quietly, looking up at the two.

"Really?" The two asked, one with thrill and disbelief, the other with pleasant surprise.

"You really want to be friends with me?" Feliciano asked, "Like, really?"

Kiku nodded, watching as Feliciano's expression broke out into sheer joy.

"Wow, um, o-okay! I can make an exception for you!" Feliciano said, "I have a friend! And who knew that all I needed to do to make one was to make awful traps and then fight them! You taught me a lot, human!"

Alfred laughed, as Feliciano excitedly continued to talk, mile-a-minute.

"I hereby grant you permission to continue onward through and out of Snowdin! Oh! And, I'll give you directions to the surface! Let's see, just continue forward until you reach the end of the cavern. Then, when you reach the capital, cross through the barrier! That's the magical seal trapping us all underground. Anything can enter through it, but nothing can exit. Except for someone with a powerful human soul, like you! That's why the king wants to acquire a human soul! He wants to open the barrier with soul power.

"It takes only one human soul for only one monster to pass through the barrier, but to destroy it, we need seven. We have six souls from past humans that have… well, you know. Then, us monsters can return to the surface! Oh, and I forgot to tell you! To get to the surface, you'll have to pass through the king's castle! The king of all monsters… he is… well… a big fuzzy pushover.

Everybody loves the guy! I'm certain if you just say, 'Excuse me, Mr. Bonnefoy, can I please go home?' He'll lead you right to the barrier himself!

"Anyway… that's enough talking! I should probably go. I'll be at home being a cool friend if you need me!" Feliciano said quickly, leaving Kiku in a daze as he processed everything he'd heard.

He's have to go to the capital… through the barrier… taking a soul with him? And, what was it about seven human souls destroying the barrier? And the king's name… Bonnefoy…

Kiku was shaken from his daze as he saw Feliciano making his way back to the house, "Come by if you want to hang out with your new, super nice friend!"

Kiku looked back at Alfred, who was a bit paler than usual. He cleared his throat.

"Sorry 'bout that. Lots of information, huh?" Alfred said, "It's a lot for us, too…"

Kiku nodded, everything Feliciano had said sinking in. The king only had six human souls, and needed seven to break the barrier, freeing everyone from the underground. He was the seventh soul.

Kiku suddenly remembered what Arthur had said,

" _If you leave… They… The King… I'm only protecting you, don't you understand? Please, go upstairs…"_

"Hey, kid," Alfred said, "You alright? You don't look too good."

Kiku nodded.

"Alright, I'm going to head back home. Feel free to come with me if you're not ready to keep on moving," Alfred offered.

As alfred began to strolled off, completely neglecting the boombox he left behind, Kiku decided to follow him. He wasn't quite ready for what was ahead.

Kiku stood outside the crooked picket fence, watching as Alfred casually jumped over it, swinging the door to the house open and carelessly making his way inside. Kiku decided to just use the door to the picket fence. Carefully.

Entering the small house, Kiku looked around. The first thing he saw was a cozy little living room, where Feliciano sat in front of a small television. Feliciano immediately looked up, smiling brightly.

"So you came back to see me!" Feliciano exclaimed, "You must be really serious about our friendship. I know! I'll take you somewhere special to me! Follow me!"

Feliciano stood and excitedly made his way back out the door, Kiku following close behind. Feliciano eagerly bounded through the snow, humming to himself while making various twists and turns in his path, until finally he stopped and extended his arms.

"Here we are!" Feliciano said happily.

They were back where they started.

Kiku decided not to question it.

"Welcome to my house!" Feli said, while motioning back to the living room as he entered, "You can look around! Make yourself at home!"

Kiku curiously looked around the room. There was a joke book on the floor, next to a bean bag chair. In the corner of the room, something caught his eye. There was a sock lying on the floor, with a series of notes lying next to it that said,

'Alfred! Please pick up your sock!'

'Ok.'

'Don't put it back down! Move it!'

'Ok.'

'You moved it two inches! Move it to your room!'

'Ok.'

'And don't bring it back!'

'Ok.'

'It's still here!'

'Didn't you tell me not to move it back to my room?'

'Forget it!'

Kiku, a bit amused, looked over at a nearby table, something round and grey catching his eye.

"Oh! That's Alfred's pet rock!" Feliciano explained, "He always forgets to feed it, so I have to take responsibility!"

As Kiku looked at it, he noticed that the rock was covered in sprinkles.

"Oh! I remember!" Feliciano suddenly said, "I made you something!"

Feliciano ran into another room, and came out holding a piece of red paper clumsily cut in the shape of a heart, with macaroni glued to the sides. Feliciano frowned when he noticed that the corner had ripped off.

"Aw," Feliciano said, "It's ruined!"

Alfred stuck his head through a crack from his bedroom door, "Wah wah wahhhh…" he sung-shouted.

Feliciano looked up, "Al! Stop plaguing my life with incidental music!"

Kiku laughed slightly, accepting the paper heart as he folded it neatly, placing it in his pocket, next to the phone that Arthur had given him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kiku noticed a door covered in posters, stickers, and duct tape.

"That's my room!" Feliciano declared, "We should go in and hang out like two totally cool friends!"

Feliciano opened the door to reveal a small room, with a race car bed in the corner.

"Here we are!" said Feliciano, "Should we start hanging out? I've never hung out before. So, uh… here we are! Hanging out!"

Feliciano suddenly stood up straight, a look of confidence on his face.

"But, don't worry!" Feli said, "You can't spell 'prepared' without several letters from my name! I got a manual from the library!"

Feliciano ran to the small bookcase in his room, pulling out a small, hardback book from one of the shelves. Opening it, he cleared his throat as he began to read.

"Step one! Ask them to hang out!" Feliciano said aloud, "Will you hang out with me?"

Kiku nodded.

"Really? Wow! This is going great!" Feli happily replied, "Step two, wear nice clothing to show the other person you care!"

Feliciano tilted his head to the side as he squinted. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Wait a minute! Right now, you're wearing clothing! Not only now, but earlier! Does this mean you wanted to hang out with me from the start?!" Feliciano said excitedly, "You're so good at being a friend! But, don't worry! I can wear cool clothes too!"

A look of sudden determination crossed his face as Feliciano suddenly opened one of his drawers, pulling out a large, red cloth and draping it across his back, trying the front under his chin. As he eagerly spun, Kiku noticed that the back of Feliciano's cape said, 'Cool Dude.'

"This must mean that we're super friends!" Feliciano said, though his celebration was cut short when a ringing came from his pocket. As he took out a small phone, his eyes grew wide.

"I… uh… I have to go, human… Julchen is… Never mind," he said a bit nervously, "I'll give you my phone number for now, so we can see eachother again! Maybe you could meet Julchen, too!"

Feliciano took out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it. Kiku wondered if he always kept a piece of paper with his phone number in his pocket.

"Well, uh, bye, human!" Feliciano said, hurrying out of the room, cellphone in hand.

Kiku made his way out of the room, to see Alfred standing by the front door.

"Oh, hey, kid," Alfred said, "I'm on my way to Roderiech's. It's a small restaurant nearby. Wanna come?"

Kiku smiled at the invitation, nodding.

Alfred grinned, "Great! C'mon!"

"Hey, everyone!" Alfred said as he opened the door to Roderiech's.

A chorus of greetings echoed as his reply. Kiku noticed that everyone seemed glad to see him.

"Hey, Al!" a voice called, "Weren't you just here a few minutes ago for breakfast?"

"Nah," Alfred replied, "I haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour. You must be thinking of brunch."

Loud, energetic laughter rang out throughout the restaurant. He seemed to know how to bring smiles to the faces of anyone around him.

"How's Feli?" Asked someone else, as Alfred sat down behind the counter, motioning for Kiku to follow.

"Same as always!" Alfred replied, then turning to Kiku, "Which reminds me, thanks for hanging out with him. He's usually so focussed on getting to be a part of the Royal Guard, that he doesn't even take the time to make friends. One day, he even went to the house of the head of the Royal Guard, and begged her to be a part of it."

Alfred laughed, shaking his head as he leaned his elbows against the countertop.

"Of course," he said, "she slammed the door in his face because it was midnight. But, waking up the next morning, she saw him still waiting there. Seeing his dedication, she decided to start training him. It's, uh, still a work in progress…"

Kiku smiled a bit. Standing outside of her door all night seemed like something Feliciano would do. He really just longed for some recognition.

"Hey, Roderiech!" Alfred suddenly said.

The man behind the counter looked up, adjusting his glasses. Kiku's eyes widened, as he noticed that his brown hair transitioned into bright, orange flames. He didn't think he would ever get used to the unusual sights of the undergrounds.

"Play something on the jukebox!" Alfred grinned.

Roderiech rolled his eyes, mumbling something about 'not real music,' as he selected the first song on the list.

"Anyway," Alfred said, "I've been meaning to ask you something. You haven't heard of any talking flowers, have you?"

Kiku felt his heart sink, as he slowly nodded.

"Oh," said Alfred, "You must know about the echo flowers, then. Yeah, there are tons of them around the marsh. Blue flowers that repeat what they last heard."

Kiku sighed. The flower he had met when first arriving in the underground couldn't have been an echo flower. It was yellow, and didn't repeat anything.

"Feli told me something interesting the other day," Alfred said, gazing down, "He said that a flower had been whispering things to him. Encouragement. Advice. Someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. Keep an eye out, okay?"

Kiku swallowed, nodding slowly. It had to be the flower.

"Thanks. Anyway, I should probably get 'back to work.' Geez, I can't believe you pulled me away from work that long!" Alfred playfully said, "It was fun. Bye, kid."

Alfred stood, waving goodbye at a few customers, then leaving. Kiku jumped down from the bar stool, deciding to leave as well. Exiting Roderiech's restaurant, Kiku looked back and forth to see if Alfred was anywhere to be found, but he wasn't.

Kiku turned, walking down the snowy path, past the woods and houses, until the trees began to fade away, along with the snow after a while. He looked up, only to see darkness, forgetting that there is no sky.

It was time he moved onward.


	3. Chapter 3: Waterfall

Chapter 3: Waterfall

Kiku trudged along the path, adapting to the sudden change in his surroundings. He had left Snowdin Town far behind, and had entered somewhere new. The snow had gone away to reveal cold, hard rock. There were a few diamond-like crystals in the walls and floors, illuminating everywhere around him.

Streams of water trickled downward here and there, forming small rivers among the midnight blue rocks. Here and there, Kiku could spot a few patches of dark soil, with strangely glowing blue mushrooms emerging from them, along with tall marsh grass.

The sight of all of these things around him was utterly astounding, as he walked among the sound of rushing water.

Kiku jumped when he heard a sudden medal clanking. Quickly, he jumped into a large patch of the marsh grass, ducking down to not be seen. He heard someone walking at a quick pace, then suddenly stopping. Kiku held his breath, before a voice he knew too well began to speak.

"H-Hello, Julchen," Feliciano's voice said meekly, "I'm here with my daily report, uh, regarding the human I called you about earlier…"

He could hear someone else speaking. It was a new voice, one he hadn't heard before.

"Did you fight them?" the woman's voice asked.

He slightly moved the tall grass to catch a glimpse of what was occurring. He could see a figure, wearing polished armor from head to toe, a mask covering their face.

"Huh?" said Feliciano, "D-Did I fight them? Yes! O-Of course I did, Julchen! I fought them valiantly!"

"Did you capture them?" Julchen asked, impatiently extending an armor-clad hand.

"Well…" Feliciano said, fidgeting as he looked down, "...no."

"What?!" Her voice yelled.

"I tried!" Feliciano said quickly, "I tried very hard, Julchen! Y-You have to believe me!"

"If you want something done right, you do it on your own!" Julchen angrily sighed.

"Julchen, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm going to be the one to take the human's soul _myself!_ " she said.

"But, you don't need to destroy them!" Feliciano said, "I've been thinking about it… and, uh… you see…"

There was a long silence as Julchen stood, her fists clenched and her facial expression unable to read beneath her armor helmet.

"...I understand…" Feliciano said, "I'll help you in any way I can."

Feliciano hurried away, back in the direction of Snowdin.

Kiku suddenly saw Julchen, facing in the direction of the grass where he was hidden. She took a step closer, and raised her arm, a flash of lightning-like magic crackling from her hand as a spear appeared. Kiku felt his blood run cold, not daring to move an inch. After a few seconds, Julchen lowered her hand, the spear disappearing, as she turned and walked back into the darkness.

Shaking, Kiku emerged from the grass.

"Oh my gosh!" said a high-pitched voice from behind him, "Did you _see_ the way she looked at you!"

Kiku turned around to see a boy, maybe a year or two younger than himself. He had blue eyes and blonde hair, and was wearing a small sailor cap, with two small horns protruding from his hair. Kiku noticed he had a small tail as well, with little matching horn-like scales on the top of it.

"That was _awesome_!" he said, "I'm _so_ jealous!"

Kiku nervously watched as the boy bounded to and fro with excitement.

"What'd you do to get her attention?" he laughed, "I'm Peter, by the way!"

Kiku smiled, nodding as a greeting. He watched as the young boy suddenly sprang ahead.

"C'mon!" he said, "We should go watch her beat up some bad guys!"

As Peter began to run off, Kiku hastily followed. Maybe Peter knew his way around this place. As Kiku followed the young boy, he could begin to see small, blue lights. As he got closer, he realized that they were flowers. _Echo flowers._

"Oh, hey! Check this out! This place is called the wishing room," Peter said excitedly, poking at the first echo flower. It seemed to glow brighter as it a soft voice drifted from it.

" _A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars. If you wished with all your heart, your wishes would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stars on the ceiling…"_

"Go ahead!" Peter said, "Touch one!"

Kiku gently reached out, brushing his fingertips against a delicate petal. The voice of a man spoke from the flower.

" _Go ahead, sis. Make a wish."_

The flower right beside it then began to glow and speak as well, this time the voice of a young girl instead.

" _I wish that one day my brother and I will get to see the real stars."_

Looking up, Kiku noticed writing on the stone walls of the wishing room. The writing had almost worn away, but he was able to see it illuminated by the glow of the flowers.

'The War of Humans and Monsters; Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human soul.

'But, humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their soul. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death.

'If a monster defeats a human, it can take the human's soul. A monster with a human soul… A horrific beast with unfathomable power.'

Kiku's attention was pulled away from the writing to see Peter had already began to walk onward. Not wanting to be left behind, Kiku followed, his head still filled with thoughts.

It would take the souls of every monster in the underground just to match one human soul. And if a monster did absorb his soul, it would become a horrible, powerful creature.'

Now Kiku knew.

King Bonnefoy wanted his soul so he could destroy the barrier, along with the other six.

But, so did other monsters in the underground.

That's why the flower had tried to kill him.

Kiku cleared the thoughts from his mind, looking at his surroundings. He was on a wooden dock above the sparkling water, the shimmering rocks still shining on the ceiling

"Hey! Look out!" Peter's voice suddenly called. Kiku stopped just in time, before a spear came crashing down in front of him, sending sparks in every direction as it went through the wooden dock.

"Stop right there, human!" a voice cried.

Kiku looked up, to see Julchen's armored figure standing on a rocky ledge of the cave walls.

"Human?" Peter asked, "Where?!"

Julchen reached her arms out, magic crackling from her fingertips.

"Seven," Julchen growled, "Seven human souls. We have six. And with yours, we can- Hey! Where are you going?!"

Kiku had already began to run down the dock and away from her as fast as possible.

Julchen jumped off of the ledge and onto the dock, running after Kiku, "Quit running and face your death like a man! Woman…. Child?"

"Hey!" Peter said, running along, "Quit messing with my friend!"

"They're a human!" Julchen yelled, stopping to face Peter, her metal hands on her hips, "You can't be friends!"

"Wait, really?" said Peter, "I didn't know that."

"Oh, yeah?" sneered Julchen, "Well, see what happens to humans who-"

"It doesn't look like they're running very far…" Peter said, as Kiku quickly reached the edge of the dock, hiding in another large patch of tall marsh grass.

"Ugh! Just come out from there, you little brat!" Julchen angrily shouted, "Come and face me like a man-woman-child!"

Julchen angrily stomped to the edge of the dock.

"If it weren't for that grass, I'd kick your-" she stopped, realizing that she was in the presence of children, "Uh… I mean… If it weren't for that grooty, I'd kick your booty! And, don't ask me what a grooty is!"

Julchen groaned as she adjusted her helmet.

"This is wasting my time! Don't think I won't be back, human!" she turned, storming off in the other direction while angrily talking to herself.

Kiku nervously emerged from the grass, to see Peter's eyes wide.

"Geez," he said, "Julchen was really mad, huh?"

Kiku shakily nodded. Peter frowned, looking back in the direction she had stormed off in.

"She says… she says we can't be friends," Peter said slowly, "So… I, uh, have to say something mean, I think…"

Kiku nodded, although he was a bit confused. He didn't want peter to get in trouble with Julchen, though. Getting in trouble with her seemed to be the last thing Kiku wanted.

"Y-Youre, uh, you're ugly! And you stink!" Peter declared, "Ha! There! It's official! We're not friends!"

Peter paused for a second, then smiled.

"So, um…" Peter said, "As not friends… You wanna hang out some more? Before I'm called home for staying out too late and stuff? Like… Like here! We could play hide and seek! I'll hide, and you can come find me! Ready? Go!"

Peter suddenly sprinted off in another direction, nearly tripping and falling, before Kiku realized he was even playing a game. Shrugging, Kiku decided to start "seeking."

Kiku had been walking for a few minutes, taking the time to look around at all of the different sights. It truly was beautiful in this part of the Underground. Though, he couldn't believe that the monsters had never seen the sky.

Taking a turn, Kiku noticed two men, standing by a food cart. One was short, with blonde hair and purple-blue eyes, and the other was tall, with the same blonde hair, but dark blue eyes behind glasses. The tall one had black horns emerging from his hair. They were unlike any other Kiku had seen, though. Almost like the ones on a ram. The other had the ears of a jack rabbit, standing straight up. There was something even more unusual about them, though. They were a sky blue color, that reminded Kiku of Metallica, for some odd reason.

"We relocated our stand, but nobody is coming…" The shorter one said, "S-So I thought up a solution! Punch cards! Every time you buy a Nice Cream, you take one from the box! If you have three cards, you can exchange them for a-"

The taller man suddenly motioned behind the other, waving his hand in the direction of Kiku.

"Oh!" the shorter man said as he turned around, "A customer! Hello! I'm Tino, and this is Berwald! Would, uh, you be interested in buying some Nice Cream?"

Kiku frowned, "I… uh…"

He looked up, to see Tino eagerly awaiting a response.

"I don't have…. Any, um… any money…" Kiku trailed off.

"Oh…" Tino said, "I-It's okay! You can take some anyway! Berwald and I have got tons to spare!"

Kiku looked at the two of them, "Really…?"

Tino smiled encouragingly, while Berwald nodded. Excited by the fact he had a customer, Tino handed Kiku a bowl filled with various scoops of ice cream, along with a spoon.

"Thank you so much!" Tino smiled happily, "And make sure to spread the word about us!"

Kiku nodded, politely thanking the two, as he moved along to search for Peter.

It hadn't taken long for Kiku to finish off the bowl of ice cream. It had been a while since he'd eaten something, anyway. Discarding the bowl, Kiku found himself somewhere new. A long strip of rocky land, almost like a bridge, surrounded by vast, glowing water. The reflection of the glittering stones danced upon the water's glassy surface.

As Kiku continued to walk, he could hear faint splashing. He turned around, to see nothing there.

"Hey!" A woman's voice called.

Kiku quickly turned back around, to see a young woman, holding onto the ledge of the rocky land, half-way in the water. She didn't look like a monster. She looked like an ordinary human.

"Oh, wow, hi!" she said, "I noticed you were here! I'm Michelle!"

Kiku meekly nodded as a greeting, suddenly realizing that this was, in fact, no human. Scaly fins emerged from the water behind her.

"So, you're visiting Waterfall?" Michelle said enthusiastically, "It's great here! You'll love it! God, I love it here, too! My favorite place!"

Kiku nodded slowly, noticing how thrilled Michelle seemed to have a guest.

"Even though," Michelle said slowly, "The water's getting so shallow here… I don't really have anywhere to go..."

Michelle suddenly looked back up, energetically speaking once again.

"He-Hey! That's okay, though!" she said, "It beats moving to the capital! And living in some crowded type of aquarium… Like all my friends did…"

Kiku watched as she traced her finger along the stone path, sighing a bit.

"And, the aquarium's full a-anyway, so, even if I wanted to, I…"

Kiku felt a bit saddened seeing Michelle stuck where she was. Wasn't it that way with all of the others in the Underground, as well?

"That's okay, though!" Michelle said, "Julchen's gonna fix everything! I'm gonna get out of here… And I'll live in the ocean!"

Kiku smiled sadly, nodding. Michelle exhaled, looking up at him.

"I get it, You've got to keep going wherever you were headed," she said, "I guess, I mean, I might see you around?"

Kiku nodded, smiling at the look of excitement that crossed her face.

"Well," Michelle said, "Have a nice time, then!"

Michelle then turned, diving back down into the water.

It seemed like Kiku had been walking for ages. Although, it didn't really bother him, considering he was in no hurry to get to the capital, even though he longed to return to the surface. As he continued to walk through the vast depths of Waterfall, more writing on the stone walls caught his attention. It was a continuation of the story of the War of Humans and Monsters, as he had seen before.

'The power of a monster being to extract a human soul has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's soul. When a monster dies, its soul disappears. And, an incredible power would be needed to take the soul of a living monster.'

As Kiku looked ahead, he could finally see where all of the ancient writing was leading. In front of him, there was a stone statue of a somber looking monster, looking up to the stone ceiling of the Underground, as if it was longing to reach the surface.

"You found me!"

Kiku jumped back. He had never seen a talking statue, and- oh. It was Peter. He excitedly jumped out from behind the statue.

"Hey! Maybe we can do something else now!" Peter said, "We could, uh, walk around and find something cool to do!"

Before Kiku could respond, Peter was already walking ahead. Kiku walked by his side, listening as Peter talked endlessly.

"Man," he said, "Julchen is sooooo cool. She beats up bad guys without even trying! If I was a human, I'd wet the bed every night, knowing she was gonna beat me up, and…. Oh."

Peter noticed Kiku's slightly nervous expression, and changed the subject. He looked over, another echo flower catching his eye.

"So, uh, one time, in school, we had to take care of a flower for a project. The king, we had to call him "Mr. Bonnefoy," volunteered to donate his own flowers from his garden. He ended up coming to our school! He taught us about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking, how _cool_ would it be if Julchen came to school? She could beat up _all_ the teachers!"

Kiku watched as Peter continued to talk, unaware of how _much_ he was talking. From what Peter had said, Kiku figured that Julchen sure did like to "beat up" things.

"Well," Peter said, "I guess she wouldn't beat up the teachers. She's too cool to hurt an innocent person."

Peter suddenly looked ahead, his expression suddenly changing.

"Oh! Look ahead!" Peter said, "It's this cool place! I come here sometimes! Come on!"

Hurrying forward, Peter lead Kiku through the stone path in front of him. The ceiling and the walls of the Underground getting smaller and smaller, until they reached a passage. Peter motioned for Kiku to follow him through it. As Kiku walked out, he had to adjust his eyes to what he saw.

The walls were now so vast and high, he couldn't even see them anymore. It stretched on for miles and miles. The only traces of a ceiling were the sparkling, star-like stones, dancing above him. It wasn't the stars that grasped his attention, though. It was the view in front of him.

Far in the distance, colossal and towering, was the king's castle. It seemed to be glowing with the light of the surrounding stars. The shadows stretched and twisted, moving like the ocean waves. The sight reminded Kiku of blue, cold waters, the moonlight reflecting from its surface.

As Kiku marveled at the sight of the castle, one single thought came to his mind.

It seemed like the end was closer than he thought.

He looked over at Peter, who only smiled. No words needed to be said, but they both understood each other perfectly. They both turned, continuing down the path

Kiku had been walking while listening to Peter's stories for what had seemed like hours, until they reached what seemed like the end of their path. In front of them was a tall ledge. Too tall for either of them to climb. Peter looked at it for a while, before turning to Kiku.

"Hey, you wanna get to Julchen, right?" he asked.

Kiku, knowing that it was the only way to continue, nodded. Peter crouched down in response.

"Climb on my shoulders! I'll help you!" Peter said, "Don't worry about leaving my behind. I always find a way to do things!"

"A-Are you sure…?" Kiku asked, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah!" Peter said, "I can give you a boost!"

Hesitating, Kiku climbed onto Peter's shoulders, minding his tail in doing so. Peter stood, wobbling a bit, as Kiku then climbed onto the ledge.

He looked back at Peter, smiling.

"Thank you."

"Any time! I guess I might see you around, then!" Peter said.

Then, he excitedly ran off. No doubt he was going to try and find a way to get to Julchen himself.

As Kiku tiredly continued to walk, he continued to read the ancient words that were engraved into the stone walls.

'The humans, afraid of our power to take souls, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy. In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak.

Not a single soul was taken, and countless monsters were killed.

Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest warriors sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the barrier, but only beings with a powerful soul can leave.

There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human souls, attacks the barrier, it will be destroyed.

But, this cursed place has no other entrances or exits. We will be trapped here forever.'

Kiku stopped reading when he heard a voice in the distance.  
"I thought I heard it come this way…"

Kiku looked up, recognizing the familiar face of a ghost.

"Oh, it's you," Toris said meekly, "Sorry… I interrupted you, didn't I?"

Kiku shook his head, and Toris looked surprised.

"Really?" Toris said, "O-Oh. Well, I just wanted to say hi… I'll head home now. Feel free to 'come with' if you want. No pressure though… I understand if you're busy."

As Toris turned and began to drift off in the opposite direction, Kiku walked behind him. It was only when they turned the corner that Kiku noticed that there were a few small houses among the sparkling rock of Waterfall. The tranquility of it all calmed Kiku as he followed Toris into a little house with blue shutters.

"My friend used to live next door," Toris said, "he's gone, now, though. He moved to the capital to be a huge star. He was a ghost like me, until he got his new body built, and… Oh, I'm boring you, aren't I?"

Kiku shook his head again.

"...How do you get to the capital from here…?" Kiku asked slowly.

"Hm?" Toris responded, "You just keep on walking until you reach the Hotlands. That's where the Core is. There, you'll find the capital."

Kiku nodded, trying to remember the multiple directions that he had just been given. Stepping back, Kiku looked at the inside of the small house. There were CDs and sheets of paper scattered around the floor.

"I, uh, I write music," Toris said, "I'm not too great at it, but I'm trying to get better."

Kiku nodded as he sat down on a small stool in the ghost's house, suddenly realizing just how tired his legs were. Not to mention how tired he was, as well. Toris seemed to notice.

"Do you, uh, need rest? I have a bed in the other room," Toris said, "It's perfectly fine with me. You're tired after all."

Kiku nodded in thanks, excusing himself from the room and into bed. Sleep sounded like the best option to him. Letting his eyes slowly close, his surroundings faded into blackness.

 _Kiku could see himself in a strange place. Nothing but blurred, white light surrounded him. He could hear a voice as he looked up, his eyes meeting violet blue ones_

" _Human…" a low, soft voice said, "It was nice to meet you… Goodbye…"_

 _There were a few flashes of silver light. Kiku could hear his heart beating fast. He could see a gleaming object in his hands. He was moving quickly._

 _Was he fighting?_

 _No, he couldn't be._

 _Kiku could see that his hands were stained with dark crimson._

 _He was holding a worn dagger, swinging and striking it._

 _The monster was fighting back._

 _Brash, orange flames shot past his field of vision._

' _No,' he repeated to himself, 'No, no, no! I can't fight now. Not after I'd come all this way.'_

 _But Kiku, despite his efforts, could not control himself._

 _He struck once more with the dagger._

 _The tall monster in front of him collapsed to his knees. Kiku got a good look at him. Long, blonde hair and beautiful eyes. There was something familiar about his horns and ears, but Kiku couldn't put his finger on it._

" _Ah…" the low voice said, "So that is how it is."_

 _As the man looked up, Kiku noticed a golden crown between his horns. Could this be King Bonnefoy?_

" _Please, young one," he said, "This war has gone on long enough. Please, take my soul and leave this cursed place. You have the power…"_

 _Something inside Kiku stopped him. He stepped back, dropping the weapon as he slowly dropped to his knees as well, taking the hand of the monster before him._

" _After everything I've done to hurt you," the monster said, "You would rather stay down here and suffer than live happily on the surface?"_

 _Kiku smiled sadly, nodding._

" _Human," the man said slowly, "I promise, for as long as I remain here… my husband I will take care of you as best we can. We can sit in the living room telling stories… We could be like… Like a famil-"_

 _The man suddenly let out a painful gasp, his eyes growing wide, and his voice stopping completely. He looked down at his already blood-stained armor, prying off the chest plate to reveal even more blood, seeping through his clothing._

 _Letting out a few shuddery breaths, he began to shake, collapsing as his chest heaved, then came to a stop. Kiku jumped back, his stomach churning. Then, all he could see was thorns._

 _The bright, blurry lights came back to him. He felt like he was falling endlessly._

" _Hiya!" a far too familiar voice said, "You didn't forget about your best friend, did you?"_

 _The lights got brighter, and more distorted. All Kiku could see through the blinding rays were thorns, the voice of the flower becoming more and more twisted._

" _I owe you a huge thanks!" the flower's voice said, seeming to come from all angles, "You really did a number on that old fool! Without you, I would never have been able to get past him! But, now, with your help, he's DEAD! And I've got the six human souls!_

" _God, I've been empty for so long! It feels great to have a soul inside me again! It's just perfect! But, I still only have six souls! I just need one more before I become GOD! And, the, with my newfound powers… Monsters. Humans. Everyone! I'll show them the TRUE meaning of this world!_

" _But, don't worry! You're old best friend has worked out something for you too! With my power, I'll save and reload your own death. SO, you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces, over, and over, and over! ...What? Do you really think you can stop me?"_

 _All Kiku could hear was maniacal laughter, coming from all around him. Then, his blood ran cold when he saw what was in front of him. A horrible, towering beast, just like the ancient writings had described. It was constructed of thorns, along with a horrible variety of twisted limbs._

" _You really are an idiot…"_

Kiku bolted upright, drenched in a cold sweat, his heart beating faster than ever before, and his eyes stinging with threatening tears, that just couldn't seem to come. He folded his trembling hands as he stood out of bed. He knew one thing.

He couldn't kill the king.

Even if it meant he had to sacrifice his own soul.

Kiku made his way back into Toris' living room, to see him sitting at a table while writing.

"Oh," Toris said, "You're awake. Well, now that you've rested, you should probably get going. I don't want to keep you here any longer than you have to be. Besides, I should probably get to writing if I want to catch my friend's TV special. I haven't seen him in so long…"

Kiku, deciding not to ask, nodded, waving goodbye as he quietly exited. He stretched, his legs feeling a bit sore from all of the walking. But, sleeping did help. As he turned the corner, his path was suddenly completely illuminated in a bright blue glow. He looked around to see that echo flowers stretched across the walls of the underground as far as he could see. As he walked past one of the flowers, it went off, glowing even brighter as Kiku heard a passing conversation.

" _...hmm… if I tell you my wish, you promise not to laugh?"_

The next flower up ahead began to glow brightly as well.

" _Of course I won't laugh!"_

Suddenly, it set off a chain reaction, the flowers ahead of his lighting up.

" _Someday, I want to climb this mountain that we're all trapped under. Staring up at the sky… looking at the world all around… That's my dream..."_

The next flower laughed, setting off the one in front of it.

" _Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh!"_

" _I know… It's just funny… that's my wish, too…"_

Kiku recognized the voices almost immediately. It was Alfred and Feliciano.

As he continued to walk through the flowers, listening to the thousands of wished, Kiku could feel a stinging sense of sympathy growing and growing.

Suddenly, he stopped. He heard rustling. Turning back, he could see the echo flowers moving. He heard faint whispering. He could see that there was something strange among them. He could see moving leaves, and a flash of a yellow petal. His heart dropped.

One of the echo flowers began to glow.

" _Where could that child be?"_

Kiku stepped back,struck with terror. It was Arthur's voice.

" _I've been looking for them everywhere…"_

Arthur's voice began to change, becoming more brash. More frightening. It slowly broke into maniacal laughter.

" _THAT'S not true!"_

Kiku felt like he was going to be sick. It was the voice of the flower.

" _He'll find another kid, and instantly forget about you. You'll never see him again!"_

Kiku tried to drown out the noises. _It's not real!_ He said to himself, _It's just the flower! He's imitating Arthur! He's lying!_

Kiku watched in horror as another echo flower began to glow, Arthur's voice coming from it yet again.

" _Where am I…? It's so cold here… And so dark…"_

Kiku covered his ears, the tortured sound of Arthur's voice seeming too real. He kept telling himself it wasn't real. He tried to convince himself that it was just an awful trick. His mind knew that it was, but his heart couldn't seem to believe it.

" _Someone help me… Please… Anyone… H-Help me…!"_

Kiku felt his eyes brim with tears, stumbling away from the awful flowers. One last flower glowed. It was the flowers horrible voice yet again.

" _...But nobody came…"_

Kiku fought back a cry of despair, as he turned, moving away as fast as he could. Trying to get the sound of Arthur's voice out of his head. Trying with all of his might to forget what the flower had said, but it just kept repeating through his mind.

" _But nobody came, but nobody came, but nobody came…"_

Kiku felt lost an out of place as he continued to walk through Waterfall. He felt as if he had been walking for hours. He barely even noticed that his surroundings were changing, until he noticed that the rocks began to become fewer, and more jagged. The air seemed warmer, illuminated in a distant red light. It was strange, to say the least. He froze when he noticed that the rocks began to look higher and higher, until he saw that there was a silhouette on top of one.

The figure jumped down, landing directly in front of him. Its armor clashed together with the stone floor.

It was Julchen.

Slowly, she removed her helmet, long, white locks tumbling down over her shoulders. Kiku looked up to see her sharp, pointed teeth and fuscia eyes. She tucked a strand of hair behind her… fin? Kiku noticed that she didn't have ears, but blue, fish-like fins.

Her facial expression was stoic as she spoke.

She spoke sternly, "Seven human souls… and our King, Francis Bonnefoy, will become a god. We have six. Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, our world will be transformed."

Julchen's eyes went somber as she turned away.  
"First, however, as it is customary for those who make it this far," she said slowly, "I'll tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started long ago…"

There was a long pause.

"No, you know what… _screw it!_ "

Julchen whipped around, a menacing grin on her face.

"Why should I tell that story, when you're about to die?!"

Julchen stepped back, her palms glowing bright blue. Kiku watched, unsure of what to do.

" _You!_ " she shouted, "You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Mattie's history books made me think humans were all cool… but you? You're just a coward! And let's not forget your wimpy, goody-two-shoes schtick! Oooh! Look at me! I'm making such a difference by hugging and befriending random strangers! You know what would be more valuable to everyone? If you were _dead!_ "

Kiku was barely able to understand what Julchen was saying, due to her furious rambling, but she continued to speak,

"That's right, human! Your continuing existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! Let's end this, human! Right here, right now!"

In a flash of light, a large spear appeared in her hands. Lunging forward, she swung. In as much hurry as possible, Kiku dove out of the way. _Talk to any opposing monsters,_ he remembered.

"Not bad! How about _this?!_ " she cried, swinging once more. Kiku continued to jump out of the way, the spear too close for comfort.

"I- uh… I don't think fighting i-is necessary…!" Kiku said.

Julchen scowled, "For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending! And, now sunlight is just within our reach! Honestly, I'm doing you a favor! No human has _ever_ made it past Francis! Killing you now is an act of mercy!"

Julchen struck with her spear yet again. Kiku had to act fast in order to block the hit. He grabbed the first thing he could see and shielded himself with it. He blocked the harsh blow with… a stick. That immediately broke in half.

There was only one thing left to do.

Run as fast as possible.

"Hey, what are yo- get back here!"

Kiku sprinted as fast as he possibly could, hearing the clashing of metal armor behind him. He could feel something rush by his head. Several spears were rushing past him. He knew he couldn't slow down.

Kiku heard Julchen shout behind him, her heavy armor slowing her down. Kiku felt the air around him get warmer and more humid. He looked around. His surroundings had completely changed. There was still rock beneath him, but it was a rusty orange color, dry and cracked. In the distance, he could see the glow of what looked like magma, and large, metal objects scattered here and there, along with flashy lights.

One rather large sign boasted the words, "Welcome to the Hotlands!"

The whole thing reminded Kiku of a large city, but with less buildings and more, well… lava.

What was he doing, again?

"Human…!" Julchen's voice behind him panted, "Stop! Resistance is futile…!"

Oh, right.

He continued to run, but something seemed off. The footsteps behind him had stopped. Curiously, he slowed into a jog and turned around, stopping in his tracks when he saw Julchen.

"Armor… Hot…" she said as she dragged her feet, her heavy armor scraping against the ground. She looked absolutely awful. _Figures,_ Kiku thought, _If I were some kind of fish monster, I'd be feeling pretty bad, too._

"I can't… won't… give up…" Julchen said through shallow breaths, her chest heaving. She looked as if she were about to completely collapse, her knees shaky and close to giving in.

Carefully, Kiku approached her, grabbing onto her arm for support. Julchen accepted without thought, leaning against the small child. Her armor _was_ heavy.

After a few moments, Julchen had finally caught her breath, only to realize that she had willingly accepted help from "the enemy."

She stood up straight, eyes meeting Kiku's, her expression a mix of shock and confusion, and maybe a bit of humiliation. Turning on her heel, she quickly walked the opposite direction, keeping her head held high.

Kiku felt something in his pocket vibrate. He pulled out the cell phone, answering it without a second thought, as he was still trying to process most of what had just occurred.

"Hello, human!" A cheerful voice exclaimed, "It's me! Feliciano!"

"O-Oh," Kiku said, "Hello."

"It's you! I know I gave you my number, but you're probably wondering how I got yours! It was easy! I just dialed every number I could think of until I got this one! I'm pretty sure I've been here for hours. Anyway, I got a brilliant idea! You, me, and Julchen should all hang out sometime! It'll make her realize that you're not bad after all! I'm about to go over to her house in Waterfall, and I was hoping you could show up! Oh, Alfred's home! I gotta go! Bye!"

The phone clicked and went silent, as Kiku stood in place.

Hanging out with Julchen.

Something told him there was no way that was happening anytime soon.


	4. Chapter 4: The Hotlands

**Chapter 4: The Hotlands**

Kiku looked around as he entered the Hotlands. It seemed so much bigger that Snowdin or Waterfall, and much more exciting, as well. There weren't many buildings, but Kiku could see many different monsters scattered about. As he was looking around, he nearly bumped into several different people.

He picked up on many different conversations, most of which were about Julchen. It seemed that every monster in the Underground idolized and praised the ground she walked on. IT seemed like she knew everyone, including the king.

...The king.

Kiku thought for a moment. Maybe Julchen could help him get to King Francis. Not just that, but help him get to a peaceful resolution with the king. All he had to do was show Julchen that he wasn't some kind of horrible person.

Kiku remembered what Feliciano had said about visiting her house.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, after all.

Kiku couldn't believe he was doing this.

"Oh!" Feliciano said, happily surprised when Kiku approached him at the entrance to Waterfall, "The human arrives! Are you ready to hang out with Julchen? I have a plan to make you two great friends! C'mon! Her house is this way!"

Feliciano excitedly hurried through various twists and turns of Waterfall, eventually stopping before a small house, that looked a bit like an apartment. There was a training dummy on the outside, next to a large, open window.

"Okay!" Feliciano said, "Stand behind me!"

Kiku shuffled behind Feliciano as he stepped in front of the door.

"Psst…" Feliciano whispered, "Make sure to give her this! She loves these!"

Feliciano handed Kiku yet another heart made of construction paper, macaroni, and crayons. Feliciano turned back, knocking on the door to the house.

After a few seconds, the door opened, Julchen standing inside. It was a bit odd for Kiku to see her not wearing armor, but instead wearing a simple tank top and cargo pants. He noticed she had strange things that looked like blue fins coming out of her lower arm.

"Hey, Feli!" Julchen said, "Ready for your private Royal Guard training?"

"You bet I am!" Feliciano said, "And, I brought a friend!"

He stepped out of the way to reveal Kiku, standing rather awkwardly.

"Hi!" Julchen said, "I don't think we've…"

She trailed off when her eyes fell on Kiku, her smile disappearing in an instant, replaced with a completely bewildered facial expression. After a few seconds, she cleared her throat, folding her hands and clenching her jaw.

"Why don't. You two. Come in?" She said through her rather sharp teeth.

Feliciano eagerly stepped inside, followed by a quiet Kiku. Kiku examined the inside of the house. There was a small kitchen, along with a little table. There were a few pictures on the walls, and a small, wooden piano as well. Of course, on top of the piano was a giant sword.

"Here, Julchen!" Feliciano said, taking the paper heart from Kiku and holding it out, "My friend got a gift for you, on their own!"

Julchen stared at it for a second, before taking it.

"Uhh… thanks," she said, "I'll, uh, put it with the others…"

Julchen stepped back, opening a cabinet to reveal multiple other identical paper hearts, all signed with "From: Feli." She placed the heart into the pile and closed the cabinet with a slight sigh.

"Anyway," Julchen said, "Ready to start your training!"

"Oops!" Feliciano said rather suddenly, "I just remembered! I have to go to the bathroom! You two have fun!"

Feliciano suddenly burst into a running start, quickly jumping out of the open window and disappearing. Kiku stood, bewildered, as Julchen sighed casually, like she had seen it before.

"So," she said as she turned to Kiku, "Why are _you_ here? To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? Is that it?!"

Kiku quickly shook his head, stepping back.

"Then why are you here?" Julchen scoffed.

She paused as she examined Kiku, her expression quickly changing.

"Wait, I get it!" Julchen said, "You think that I'm gonna be friends with you, huh? Right?!"

Before Kiku could even nod, she was already speaking loudly, a big, fake smile plastered onto her face.

"Really? How delightful! I accept! Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship! _Not!"_

Julchen was scowling, standing firmly in front of Kiku with her arms crossed.

"Why would I _ever_ want to be friends with _you_?! If you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you up right now! You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams! I will _never_ be your friend! Now, get out of my house!"

There were a few tense seconds of silence, before a voice was heard behind Kiku.

"Dang!" said Feliciano, sticking his head through the window, "What a shame… I really thought Julchen could be friends with you. But I guess I _overestimated_ her. She's just not up to the challenge!"

Feliciano grinned widely, giving Kiku a thumbs up before turning the opposite direction and vanishing once again.

"Challenge?!" Julchen exclaimed, "What?! Feli! Wait a second!"

Julchen looked out the window to see that Feliciano had already gone. She sighed, turning back to Kiku.

"Dang…" Julchen grumbled, "He thinks I can't be friends with _you_?!"

Julchen laughed loudly, rolling her eyes.

"Ha! What a joke!" she shouted, "I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day! I'll show him!"

Julchen suddenly focused her attention onto a rather nervous Kiku, unsure of how this was about to play out.

"Listen up, human!" Julchen said with a huge smirk on her face, "We're not just going to be friends. We're going to be besties! It's the perfect revenge!"

She suddenly stood up straight, smiling sweetly.

"Why don't you have a seat? I'll make some tea. Which kind do you want?"

Julchen held up two boxes, and Kiku pointed at the first one he saw. He nervously sat down at the small table as she began boiling water, mumbling something that sounded like, "I'm surprised he jumped out of the window so suddenly… he usually sticks the landing!"

"Okay! It's all done!" Julchen proudly declared a few minutes later.

Julchen hurried over, setting a mug full of steaming tea in front of Kiku.

"Careful!" she said, "It's hot."

Kiku nodded, waiting for the tea to cool down. He looked up at Julchen who was sitting across from him, a rather annoyed look on her face.

"It's not _that_ hot! Just drink it already!" she loudly stated.

Kiku slowly look a sip.

"It's pretty good, right?" Julchen triumphantly declared, "Who am I kidding? It's the best frickin' tea you've ever tasted! Nothing but the best for my absolutely precious friend!"

Kiku nodded, despite the fact that the tea was burning hot. Julchen was smiling a bit.

"Hey," she said, "You know… It's kind of strange you chose that tea. Golden flower tea… that's Francis's favorite kind."

Kiku looked up, a bit surprised. Julchen laughed to herself a bit.

"You kind of remind me of him," she said, "You're both total wimps! Well, sort of..."

Julchen snickered, shaking her head. Hearing about the king was a bit strange for Kiku, knowing nothing about the monster. Kiku had no clue what he was like. Julchen looked off, a fond expression on her face.

"Y'know," she sighed, "I was a pretty hotheaded kid. Once, to prove I was stronger than my brother, Ludwig, I tried to fight Francis. Emphasis on tried! For some reason, I couldn't land a single hit on the guy! And to make things worse, he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated. Afterwards, he apologized, and said something that surprised me.

"He said, 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?' I said yes, and from then on, he trained me! One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down! I felt… bad. But he was beaming… I had never seen anyone so proud to get their butt kicked!"

Kiku watched as Julchen smiled as she spoke of her memories, seeming to forget about everything else.

"Anyway," Julchen said, "Long story short, he kept training me… And, now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So, I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight! Like, uh, Feli. But… if I'm being completely honest with myself, I don't know if I could ever let Feliciano into the Royal Guard."

Julchen leaned her elbows against the table as she spoke, looking directly at Kiku.

"Don't tell him I said that!" she quickly added, "He's just… well… he's just too innocent and nice. I mean, look, he was supposed to capture you, and he ended up being friends with you instead! I could never send him into battle. He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds."

The corners of her mouth curved into a smile as she continued to talk, staring off. Her voice was a lot softer than before. Less loud and brash. Kiku took a few more sips of the tea, as Julchen continued to speak.

"That's the reason why I started teaching him to cook instead, y'know? So maybe he could do something else with his life. I just don't want him to end up hurt."

Julchen suddenly looked up at Kiku.

"Oh, sorry, I talked for so long…" Julchen said, "You're probably out of tea, aren't you? I'll make some more."

Julchen stood from the table, walking into the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Wait a second…" Julchen said, "Feli… His cooking lesson… He was supposed to have that right now!"

Julchen suddenly whipped around, pulling Kiku from his chair with a huge grin on her face, "And, if _he's_ not going to have it, _you'll_ have to have it for him!"

Julchen quickly pulled Kiku over to the counter, throwing pots, pans, and ingredients onto it, while knocking boxes of tea off, along with a few plates and bowls. She didn't seem to mind that they had completely shattered.

"Nothing has brought Feliciano and I closer than cooking!" she boasted, "Which means, if I give you his lesson, we'll be best friends! We'll make what I usually cook with Feli! Here, we'll start with the sauce!  
Julchen scattered several tomatos on the counter. Along with a carrot for some reason. She was smirking widely.

"Picture these vegetables as your _greatest enemy!"_ she yelled, "Now! Pound them to dust with your fists!"

Kiku looked at her for a moment, before slightly brushing his fist against one of the tomatos.

"No!" Julchen cried, "Don't pet the enemy! Pound them!"

Kiku, quite a bit confused at this point, attempted a second time. He managed to knock over a tomato.

"Yeah! That's it!" Julchen said, "Let me finish them off for you!"

She slammed her fists against the table, causing the vegetables to splatter everywhere. She looked over at Kiku, bits of tomato covering her face.  
"Uh…" Julchen said, "We'll just scrape this into a bowl later. But, for now, we add the noodles! Homemade are the best, but I just buy store brand! They're the cheapest! Just put them in the pot!"

Julchen slammed a pot of water onto the stove, the liquid spilling everywhere. Kiku placed the noodles into the pot carefully.

"Nice?" Julchen said, "I guess, now we stir! It's the most important part! Go!"

Kiku quickly grabbed a wooden spoon, nervously stirring as fast as he could, with various chants of encouragement from Julchen. It seemed like she was equally as intense fighting as she would cooking.

"Ugh! Let me do it!"

Julchen's hands glowed, and suddenly she was holding one of his magic spears. She raised it over her head, and began slamming it repeatedly onto the pot, denting it and nearly breaking it in half, as well.

"Now, turn up the heat!" Julchen yelled.

Kiku turned the dial up.

"Hotter!" Julchen cried.

Kiku moved the dial slightly.

"Come on, hotter!"

Against his better judgement, Kiku turned the dial once more. The bottom of the pot was glowing red, and flames were creeping up its sides.

" _Even hotter!"_

Julchen grabbed the dial, cranking it up all the way. The entire pot erupted into flames, some of it catching onto curtains and paper towels near by.

"Ah," Julchen said, turning to Kiku, who was frozen in shock, "No wonder Feliciano still needs practice at cooking. The house is on fire."

She then smiled casually.

"So! What's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?" Julchen said, then turning back with a sigh, "Oh, who am I kidding? I really screwed this up, didn't I? I can't force you to like me, human. SOme people just don't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me. And, if we can't be friends… that's okay.

"But, just so you know, at first I hated your guts. But, now, I know that you're not just some wimpy loser. You're a wimpy loser with a big heart! You really do remind me of someone I used to train with…"

Julchen suddenly looked down, her smile fading.

"Listen, human," she said, "It seems like you and Francis are fated to fight. But, knowing him, he probably doesn't want to. Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home. Eventually, some horrible human will fall down here. And, I'll take their soul instead! That makes sense, right?

"Oh, and if you _do_ hurt Francis, I'll take the human souls, cross the barrier, and beat the hell out of you, kid! That's what friends are for, right?"

Julchen laughed, then looking around.

"Now, let's get out of this flaming house!"

Julchen then grabbed Kiku by the shoulders, lifting him up as she ran, kicking open the door and sprinting outside with a smile on her face. She set him down on the rocky ground.  
"That was fun! We should hangout again sometime! Just, uh, somewhere else, probably," she grinned, "In the meantime, I'll go see what Feli is up to. So, if you need me, just drop by Snowdin, ok?

Julchen waved goodbye, then turning and leaving Kiku. _Nowhere to go but forward from here,_ thought Kiku, as he headed back in the direction of the Hotlands.

Kiku had made it through the crowds of people in the Hotlands, only to find that his path leaded one way, and one way only. Standing in front of him was a large building made of white brick. There were large, flashing bulbs on the side that looked like the lights on top of a police car. On the side of the building was the large word, "Lab."

Kiku reached out, knocking on the metal door. Automatically, it opened right up. Kiku looked inside, but saw no one. He didn't have much of a choice, though. He had to go inside.

Stepping inside, he heard the door close behind him as his feet moved against the floor of large tile. As he walked further in, there were several tables with blueprints and measuring tools scattered on top of them. When he looked up, he froze in shock at what he saw.

It was himself, looking right back!

There was a large screen on the wall, and his image was projected onto it, moving along with him. Could this be the explanation to the camera he saw when exiting the ruins?

Kiku heard distant shuffling from down the hall. Quick footsteps got closer and closer, until…

A figure entered the room, with a yellow tail, similar to Peter's, and three, orange, small horns traveling down the back of her head, emerging from two dirty blonde pigtails. She pushed up the glasses that were perched on the edge of her nose as she straightened her lab coat, dusting something off of her spotted dress. The girl looked up, her face going from casual, to complete shock.

"Oh. My God," she said, "A human. I-I mean… Oh my God! Y-You've come here so soon, and the place is a mess!"

The girl quickly turned away, nervously stuttering to herself.

"I barely got ready, and oh my God the cameras are watching!" she rambled to herself, "M-Maddie, stop staring! D-Don't scare them! I can't even deal… come on, don't be weird!"

She quickly turned around, facing Kiku.

"So, anyway, I'm Madeline. Well, uh, Dr. Williams. O-Or just call me Maddie, like most people do," she stammered, "I'm King Francis's Royal Scientist. But, ah, I'm not one of the "bad guys!" Actually, since you've stepped out of the Ruins, I got an alert on my console that someone new was in the Underground! I've been watching you do all of these amazing things, and…"

Her eyes widened, quickly stepping forward.

"N-Not in a creepy way, though! Don't get me wrong!" Maddie said, "I was originally going to try and stop you, but, watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them. So, uh, now I want to help you! Using what I know, I can easily guide you through the Hotlands! I know the way right to Francis's castle, no problem!"

She was smiling, until it faded away into nervousness. Kiku watched as she fidgeted.

"Well, uh," she said, "There is just one tiny issue…"

Maddie looked down at her tennis shoes.

"A long time ago, I made a robot named Feliks," she said, "Originally, I built him to be an entertainer for monsters in the Underground. Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star, or something. Down here we don't have a lot of idols or icons to look up to. Anyway, recently, I've decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments. Like um… anti… anti-human combat features?"

Kiku felt his blood run cold, and Maddie quickly looked back up, a nervous blush on her face.

"B-But, of course when I saw you, I immediately decided, I have to remove those features! U-Unfortunately, I may have made a teensy mistake while doing so. And… uh…. N-now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?"

Maddie nervously let out a fake laugh, as Kiku realized things were just getting worse and worse.

"But, hopefully, there's a chance we won't run into him!"

Suddenly the entire ground shook. Kiku looked up to see a now-terrified Maddie, looking around.

"Oh no," she said.

Suddenly, one of the doors burst open. And not just the door. The entire wall around it as well.

"Oh yes!" a voice responded.

Kiku looked around, seeing nothing but a cloud of dust from the door. The voice was loud, robotic, and overly energetic.

"Welcome, beauties!" the voice yelled, "To today's quiz show!"

Then, Kiku could see it. Standing in the doorway, there was a robot. It didn't look even remotely human. With two robotic arms coming from a rather large, metal rectangular body, the whole thing balancing on one wheel. Was this Feliks? Something told Kiku that he didn't have to be as scared as he was.

The large screens suddenly changed to a live broadcast of what was happening in front of Kiku. Where were the cameras even coming from? Was Feliks really _that_ famous?!

"I can already tell it's going to be a great show!" Feliks called out, "Everyone give a big hand to our _wonderful_ contestant!"

Kiku could hear applause, although he had absolutely no clue where it was coming from! He looked over at Maddie, who was mouthing several apologies.

"Never played before, gorgeous?" Feliks cheerfully stated, "No problem! It's simple! There's only one rule! Answer correctly…"

There was a very long pause, before Feliks spoke once more.

"Or, you die!"

Feliks moved back, hit metal arm motioning to the large screen before Kiku could even do anything.

"Question one!" Feliks said, "What is the prize for answering correctly?"

Four options appeared onto the large screen;

Money

Mercy

A new car

More questions

"Uh…" Kiku whispered, looking around the room for guidance. Maddie caught his eye from behind Feliks. She was holding up four fingers, gesturing them at Kiku, nervously.

"Um," Kiku said, looking back up at the robot, "F-Four? More questions?"

"Correct" Feliks excitedly said, "Terrific answer! Here's an easy one! Next question! Would you smooch a ghost?"

The answer options were displayed;

Heck yeah

Heck yeah

Heck yeah

Heck yeah

Maddie narrowed her eyes in half-confusion and half-disturbance.

"H-Heck yeah…?" Kiku questioned.

"Amazing! I love the answer! This next one is simple!" Feliks said, and began talking extremely fast, "Two trains, Train A and Train B, simultaneously depart Station A and Station B. Stations A and B are 252.5 miles apart from each other. Train A is moving at 124.7 miles per hour towards Station B, and Train B is moving at 253.5 miles per hour towards Station A. If both trains departed at 10:00 AM, and it is now 10:08, how much longer until both trains pass each other?"

Again, the answer options appeared on the screen.

31.054 minutes

16.232 minutes

32.058 minutes

32.049 minutes

Kiku felt himself freeze up, looking at Maddie for help. Maddie was clearly thinking before she stood up straight.

"I've got it!" Maddie said, "Three, Kiku! The answer… is…"

Feliks turned around. His hands were on his… well, what would've been hips. If he weren't a robotic rectangle.

"Maddie, Maddie, Maddie…" Feliks sighed, "You aren't helping our contestant, are you?"

Maddie jumped, her cheeks going light pink in embarrassment as she quickly shook her head. Feliks suddenly gasped, spinning around on his wheel.

"Oooohh!" He said rather loud, "You should've told me! I'll ask a question you'll be sure to know the answer to!"

Maddie quickly covered her mouth, "W-Wait!"

Feliks excitedly laughed, "Our next question! Who does Dr. Williams have a crush on?"

Maddie went bright red as the answers came onto the large screen;

Julchen

King Bonnefoy

The human

Literally anyone else

"I… u-uh…" Kiku said.

"What was that?" Feliks said, "Julchen? See, Maddie. I told you it was obvious! Even the human figured it out all by themselves!"

Kiku gave a confused look as Maddie buried her face into her hands.

"Yes," Feliks said, very dramatically, "She scrawls her name in the margins of her notes. She names programming variables after her. Probability of crush; 101 percent. It's just… like… so adorable…!"

Feliks fake cried, although you couldn't really tell, considering he didn't have and tears. Or eyes. Or a face. Or a- you get the point.

"Well, with Dr. Williams helping you, the show has no more dramatic tension!" Feliks cried, "We can't go on like this! But…. but! This was just the pilot episode! Next up, more drama! More romance! More bloodshed!"

Feliks turned around, quickly leaving the room, the screen going back to normal as he called, "Until next time, darlings!"

Kiku stood for a few minutes in silence, his jaw still dropped. Maddie spoke after a while.

"Well, that was certainly something…" Maddie cleared her throat awkwardly, "That, uh, last question… He wasn't s-supposed to ask that one…."

Maddie quickly straightened her lab coat, shifting on her feet.

"W-Well, I, um," she said, "I was, uh, thinking, I should give you m-my phone number. Then… maybe, if you need help, I could-"

Maddie stopped mid sentence when Kiku removed the phone from his pocket.

"Wh… Where did you get that phone? It's ancient!" She said in disbelief, taking it from him and examining it, "It doesn't even have texting. W-Wait a second, please!"

She turned on her heel, her tennis shoes squeaking against the tile floor of the lab. She was gone for no less than a minute before returning.

"Here! I built this a couple weeks ago. It's a phone, like the one's they have now on the surface!" Maddie said enthusiastically, before questioning herself, "Well, at least I think it's as advanced as the human's technology. Maybe even more! I-It can text, hold information, and it has a little keychain I added."

Proudness shone in Maddie's face as she handed the phone to Kiku. Saying a quick 'thank you,' Kiku placed the phone back into his pocket.

"I've always been so interested in human history," Maddie said, "I-I've read all the books we have about it in the Underground."

Noticing one on the table, Kiku picked it up. The cover read, "Brief History of Human Wars." Opening the book, he flipped to a page that displayed what looked like an alien princess fighting a giant robot…

...This didn't strike him as very accurate.

But, he figured, it was best to let Maddie continuously believe in her passions.

"A-Anyway," Maddie added, "I've decided that I could make your journey easier if I helped show you the way. O-Of course I should probably stay in my lab and keep working, but I could send you messages and stuff! If… If it means that I'll be helping!"

Kiku smiled in appreciation, nodding. Maddie's entire face lit up.

"Really? You seriously want my help?" she asked, "W-Wow… That's awesome! I'll, uh, help as much as I can!"

Maddie paused, looking down at Kiku.

"Well, you should probably hurry, then," Maddie said, "But don't worry! I'll help you find your way!"

Kiku nodded, waving a short goodbye, as he made his way out of a door at the opposite side of the lab. He watched as the metal doors closed behind him, immediately greeted with the whir of moving cogs and steam, the red glow of the Hotlands surrounding him. Dry, red rock and the glow of magma was as far as the eye could see, giant metal structures emerging from the glow every now and then. He kicked a rock as he walked, stopping to pick it up, pressing it tightly against his palm. It was oddly warm.

"Spider bake sale!" a voice called.

Kiku stopped walking, still clutching onto the warm rock, "L-Lili...?"

He looked over to see someone new sitting behind another table, a permanent scowl on his face. He had shoulder-length, blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes. He had six arms, just like Lili had. What Kiku noticed the most was what he was wearing. It looked like a hand-knit sweater, with six sleeves and all. Sewn onto it were the words, "big brother Vash."

"What? Are you just going to stare?" the monster, who Kiku assumed was called Vash, asked.

"N-No…" Kiku said.

"Good," Vash grumbled, "Spider Scout cookies are nine hundred gold pieces."

"N-Nine hundred?" Kiku asked.

"Yeah! What are you going to pay with, that rock? These aren't cheap!" he asked, "Look, just buy something! I'm just helping; I don't even want to be doing this, anyway!"

Kiku meekly nodded, murmuring an apology and turning, walking off. The man didn't exactly look like the type of person who would be a "Spider Scout," let alone be selling cookies.

Kiku jumped in surprise when he felt his phone ring. He held it up to his ear to answer.

"Okay, so I-" Maddie's voice said, "O-oh, wait, um… h-hi! This is Maddie! A-Anyway, I forgot to tell you, Feliks might, uh… Well, he might show up. P-Probably filming his TV show and all, but, if you need help, just call me! I have access to the technology of the Hotlands Core, so I can help you shut his plans down. O-okay, bye…!"

The phone clicked and hung up before Kiku could reply.

Almost like clockwork, Kiku found himself stumbling straight into bright lights. He was almost blinded by stage lights, tripping forward onto a new, tiled floor beneath him. Behind him, he could still see the Hotlands from behind him; it was almost as if it was all planned.

Once the lights had adjusted, Kiku took in what was around him. A TV news set.

"Oh no…" Kiku said to himself.

"Oh, yes!" a loud, robotic voice exclaimed.

Kiku looked over at the news desk, seeing the rectangular robot sitting behind the desk. However, Feliks was wearing a bright red suit and tie over his square, metal form. Cameras were placed in front of the both of them, a large sight that read, "On Air," flashing above them.

"Good evening, beauties and gentlebeauties!" Feliks said enthusiastically, "This is Feliks, reporting live from Hotlands news! An interesting situation has arisen in Eastern Hotlands! We now go live to our correspondent from the fields; weird child!"

The cameras moved, facing Kiku directly.

"Smile for the camera," Feliks said, "You're on TV, you might as well look the part! Have you found me anything newsworthy?"

"I… u-uh…" Kiku mumbled.

"Oh, is that what you've brought us?" Feliks said, pointing to the rock that Kiku forgot he was carrying, "How interesting!"

Kiku looked up at Feliks, who suddenly reeled backwards.

"Oh, my! But, wait! That isn't a rock! You've got a bomb!" Feliks cried, "They're everywhere!"

Kiku looked down at his hands to see that the rock was now replaced by a flashing, metal object. He looked up in horror to see that the news set had begun to fall apart, revealing even more flashing lights, each one blinking and beeping.

"Oh, no! It's almost as if they were pre-planted!" Feliks said, "It looks like you'll have to disarm them if you do not wish to be perished!"

Kiku's expression changed to one of complete terror, as Feliks laughed loudly.

"Poor child! I'm so full of grief, I can't stop laughing!" Feliks said, "In the meantime, I'll be evacuating the studio. Don't try this at home, kids!"

Feliks moved quickly out of the studio room, and Kiku's phone rang. Quickly, he answered it, looking for help.

"Are you wearing a suit and tie?" Maddie asked, "Feliks, no."

"Feliks, yes!" he exclaimed from behind the wall.

"H-Human! D-Don't worry," Maddie's voice said on the other line, "I designed these, I can turn them off! Just let me, u-uh…"

The flashing lights suddenly all turned off, leaving Kiku standing there, still quite shocked. Feliks scoffed from outside, rolling back into the room.

"Oh no!" he said dramatically, "Foiled again by the brilliant Doctor Williams!"

There was a long pause as Feliks seemed to wait for Maddie to say something.

"Tha-"

"That's right!" Maddie suddenly said through the phone's static, "Come on, Feliks! Give it up already! You'll never be able to get past us. Not as long as we're working together!"

Feliks turned himself around.

"Ooohh…" Feliks said, " _Ooooohhhhhhh_ … You've defeated me!"

Feliks dramatically rolled backwards.

"How can this be, you were stronger than I thought, et cetera…" Feliks said, while turning and exiting, "Goodbye."

As soon as Feliks had left, Maddie spoke, "Er… L-Looks like you beat him! You, uh, did a really good job out there…"

Kiku slowly nodded. Something felt… off. He was beginning to feel a rather skeptical. He slightly smiled, trying to push aside his doubt.

"...um, h-hey," Maddie said, "This may sound weird, but can I tell you something? Before I met you, I didn't really… I didn't really like myself very much. For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw up. L-Like I couldn't do anything without letting everyone down. But, guiding you has made me feel a lot better about myself. So… uh… thanks for letting me help you."

There was a bit of silence, until Maddie's voice could be heard once again through the phone.

"So, um… anyway… we're almost at the entrance to the King's castle. Might as well move on ahead. I'll see if I can meet you there. I may be offline, though, so I would be able to see or talk to you. B-But don't worry! I know you can take on whatever comes your way. B-Bye, then!"

The phone clicked as Maddie hung up, leaving Kiku in the empty TV show set. That was definitely strange to say the least. Kiku eyed the deactivated bomb, noticing something rather odd about it. There was a small switch on the back, that read "On/Off." Hesitantly, Kiku picked up the small bomb, touching the switch. As soon as he turned it on, the light began blinking again.

It wasn't a bomb.

It was merely a light.

Kiku placed it back down subtly, continuing to walk. Something was off. Surely, something was being hidden from him.

As he walked, he thought to himself. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Kiku looked up, to see that he had followed a path that lead him behind a rather large building. At least that's what it appeared to be. There were cobwebs along the walls, completely surrounding him. It was too dark to see which way was right.

Kiku began to slow down, noticing that he could no longer see the path, surrounded by the glistening cobwebs.

"Well, look who it is!" a familiar voice said, "So, you think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you?"

Kiku stumbled back, with nowhere to go. A figure made its way through the darkness, revealing his face. The monster from before, Vash, was standing in front of Kiku.

Vash scowled, "Ha... I disagree with that notion. If I'm being honest, I think your taste is exactly what this next batch needs!"

Vash drew nearer, as Kiku meekly backed away. Suddenly, another voice was heard.

"Vash, what are you-"

Lili emerged from the shadows, a surprised expression on her face.

"H-Hello! I didn't know you knew the human from earlier, Big Brother!" Lili excitedly said.

"Lili? You know the human?" Vash asked.

"He bought from me! With human currency, too!" Lili said.

Vash turned, "Human currency…? How much do you think that's worth?"

Lili shrugged, a bright smile still on her face.

"This was a misunderstanding…" Vash said, "I'm not sorry, though. If I catch you being a snob around Lili, I'll introduce you to my gun collection."

"Vash! Don't scare them!" Lili said.

"Fine," Vash grumbled, "But, you can always come back and let me teach you a lesson, human. No charge needed."

Vash then turned to face his sister.

"Lili, why don't you show the human out of here? They can't see in the dark," Vash said.

Lili beamed and nodded, motioning for Kiku to follow her. As they navigated through the dark.

"So, you've moved a lot since the Ruins. Normally, monsters aren't allowed in. Even if they tried, they couldn't get through the huge door from outside. Only ghosts and smaller monsters can get inside," Lili said, "Me, I was small enough to get over the wall."

"You… climbed over it…?" Kiku asked.

"Naturally," Lili replied, "Can't all spiders on the surface climb walls?"

Kiku nodded, listening to Lili continue to happily speak.

"Anyway, you were at the Ruins last time I saw you," Lili said, "And now you're all the way here, in Hotlands. Where are you going?"

Kiku stopped walking once he noticed they had emerged from the darkness and cobwebs. He looked at Lili, pausing before his answer.

"Home," he said.

"Huh," Lili said, "I guess you could say that we're trying to get to the same place."

"Lili!" Vash's voice called, "Come on!"

"I should go back," Lili said turning back, "Vash is making dinner tonight."

They both paused for a mere second, smiling at one another.

"Well, bye… for now," Lili said sweetly, "Why knows? We might run into each other again."

With a quick wave goodbye, Lili had gone.

Kiku walked around the wall, getting a close look at the alleyway he was in. As he moved, he studied the building he had been behind. Reaching the front, he read the sign. In bold, neon letters, it spelled out "Hotlands Resort and Hotel."

Kiku then stopped, smiling widely when he noticed the familiar face in front of him.

"Hey, kid!" Alfred said, approaching Kiku from the outside of the resort, "Word got through from Dr. Williams and Julchen that you're on your way to the King's castle. I guess this is it, then."

Kiku nodded.

"I've got an idea," Alfred said, "How about we go inside and grab some dinner first. You probably haven't sat down and eaten in a while, huh?"

Kiku nodded eagerly once more. Alfred beamed.

"Great! Thanks for treating me," Alfred jokingly said as the two walked inside the hotel.

Kiku listened to Alfred's stories as he ate. It was so nice to sit and eat once more. After all, what he'd previously endured had been far from your average experience. After a few minutes, Alfred looked down at the table.

"So… here we are," he said, his expression slightly different than before, "Your journey's almost over, huh? You must really wanna go home. Hey, I know the feeling, buddo."

Alfred sighed. Kiku listened to his voice. The voice that was usually so loud and confident, but was now softer.

"Though…" Alfred sighed, "Maybe sometimes it's better to take what's been given to you. Down here, you've already got food, drinks, friends… is what you have to do really that important? Is it really worth it…?"

Alfred looked away for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Ah, forget it," Alfred said, "I'm rootin' for ya, kid. Sorry for getting all weird on ya. I guess… it can be all sunny and shining, but it's always raining somewhere, ya know?"

Kiku felt something change as he listened to Alfred speak. Alfred then looked Kiku in the eye, as a smile crept onto his face.

"Hey," he said, "Let me tell you a story."

Alfred leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair as he sighed happily.

"So, I'm a sentry in Snowdin Forest, right? I sit out there and watch for humans. It's kind of boring. Fortunately, deep in the forest, there's this _huge_ locked door. And, being as bored as I was, I thought it would be perfect for practicing knock knock jokes."

Alfred laughed to himself as he rested his elbows onto the table, letting his words flow.

"So, one day, I'm knocking them out, like usual. I knock on the door and say, 'knock knock.' And, suddenly, from the other side, I hear a man's voice ask, 'Who's there?' So, naturally, I respond, 'Little old lady.' There was a sigh, and then the man responded; 'Little old lady who?' I then said, 'I didn't know you could yodel!'"

Alfred grinned as he recalled his story.

"At first he tried to hide it, but then I could hear him laughing like it was the best thing he'd heard in a hundred years. So, I keep telling jokes, and he keeps laughing. He's the best audience I've ever had. Then, after a few of them, _he_ knocks on the door and says, 'Knock knock.' I say,'Who's there?' 'Dishes.' 'Dishes who?' 'Dishes _not_ the place to be practicing your jokes.'"

Alfred seemed to smile even wider.

"Wow," he said, "Needless to say, this man was extremely good. Whether he acknowledged it or not. We kept telling jokes and firing back at each other for hours. Eventually, I had to leave. Feli gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story. But, he told me to come by again, and so I did. Then I did again. And again. It's kind of a thing now. Telling bad jokes through the door."

Alfred paused, his expression changing.

"One day, though… he stopped laughing. I couldn't hear his reactions through the door. Then, I heard it. The sound of crying. Tears…" Alfred paused, "I asked him what was wrong. Then, he told me something strange. He said, 'If a human ever comes through this door… could you please, please promise me something? Watch over them, and protect them… Please…'

"Now, I hate making promises. And this man… I don't even know his name. But, someone who seems so lonely and sad… someone who can laugh at a horrible joke… has an integrity you just can't say 'no' to."

Alfred then looked back down once again, growing silent.

"You get what I'm sayin'?" Alfred asked, "You know what would've happened if he hadn't said anything? ...buddy, you'd be dead where you stand…"

Looking up at Kiku, Alfred smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, lighten up, kid! I'm just joking with you," Alfred said, "Besides, haven't I done a great job protecting you? Heh…"

Kiku felt something strange after hearing Alfred's speech. It was the first time he's heard real, heartfelt emotion from Alfred, other than happiness. There were so many other things to him. So many other faces behind the first, carefree one Kiku was introduced to. Not just happiness, but sadness, as well as admiration.

Slowly, Alfred stood from the table.

"Well, I guess that's it. You should probably keep going," Alfred said, "Take care of yourself, kid. 'Cause someone really cares about you."

And with a sincere smile, Alfred turned and left. Kiku sat, thinking about everything that he'd heard. Could the man behind the door be…? It had to be…

Kiku stood. Alfred was right. It was time for him to continue.


	5. Chapter 5: The Truth

Chapter 5: The Truth

Kiku walked through the hotel. He had left the restaurant after eating with Alfred, and everything that Alfred had said was still repeating in his head.

The man behind the door…

Kiku shook his head clear of the thoughts, ignoring the lingering, worried voices that strayed in his mind. He needed to keep moving forward. It was the only way he could ever make it home. Kiku sat in the lobby of the hotel. He just needed to think. He felt suffocated by everything that had happened. The heaviest weight on his shoulders, however, was not something that had happened, but something that _could_ happen.

The dream that he had.

What he had seen still followed his every movement. He knew that he was fated to meet the King. And when he did, he knew that they were fated to fight.

 _What would happen then?_

Kiku feared that his dream was to be a reality. Would he have to do as his dream predicted? If the monsters were to ever reach the surface, they would need to collect all seven souls. The king was determined.

What scared Kiku the most was what he knew to be true.

He could only do one of two things, as he recalled the chilling voice of the flower.

" _In this world, it's kill or be killed…"_

The more he thought about it, the more the visions of his dreams tormented him. Everything was always present in his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the king collapse, the floor stained with crimson.

" _This war has gone on long enough. Please, take my soul and leave this cursed place. You have the power…"_

Kiku could hear the king's weak voice. He could see the gleaming dagger in his own hands. He could see the flower returning, murdering the king, collecting the souls, and transforming into the horrible thorned beast, made of twisted vines and limbs.

"Hey!" a voice said, snapping Kiku out of his daze. He had his fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. Noticing he was staring directly at someone, he looked away quickly. Standing in front of him was a young man. He was tan and had large brown eyes, a harsh scowl on his face. He wore a hotel staff uniform, with a nametag that read, "Lovino." Instead of your average human ears, he had two light brown ones, similar to the ears of a lion.

"What do you want?" he asked, "Any questions, concerns, or whatever? Hurry up."

"I… uh… I don't know…" Kiku stammered, mumbling quietly.

"Look, all I have for you would be advice," Lovino sighed, "You've still got time. Don't live like me. I'm twenty years old and I've already wasted my entire life working for Feliks at this stupid hotel."

As Lovino turned to leave, Kiku quickly stopped him.

"Y-You know Feliks…?" Kiku meekly asked.

"Please," Lovino grumbled, "When I first came to the stupid Hotlands, it was my dream to work with Feliks. Well, surprise! Be careful what you wish for. I mean, have you seen this place? It's a labyrinth of bad choices. And, every time we try and change something for the better, he vetoes it and says, 'that's not how they do it on the surface.' Not to mention, everyone thinks he's so attractive! He's literally just a fu- uh, I mean… freaking rectangle!"

Lovino then took a step back, crossing his arms.

"Why am I even wasting my time to talk to some kid?" Lovino said, "I have to get back to doing my stupid job."

Turning away, Lovino quickly left, while grumbling to himself.

Kiku sighed. _Was Feliks really that terrible?_ Maybe Maddie was right. Maybe Kiku needed to be protected from him at all costs.

Kiku walked for what seemed like hours, going in the same direction. Hopefully he wasn't going the wrong way without Maddie to guide him. The fact that he was getting closer and closer to the king's castle both fueled and terrified him. His surroundings kept changing, growing dimmer and dimmer with every step.

He knew that he couldn't be far, now. He stopped when he realized that he was no longer in a place that looked like Hotlands. It was dark. He could not see the walls around him. That is, until a single light came on, illuminating where he now was. A large corridor, with a single door at the end. This must be the way to the castle.

However, there was something blocking his path.

Feliks.

"There you are, darling," Feliks said, "It's time we had our little show down. It's time to finally stop the "malfunctioning" robot."

There was a few seconds of silence, before Feliks spoke once more.

"Um… not!" Feliks shouted, "Malfunction? Reprogramming? Get real! This was all just a big show. An act. Maddie has been playing you for a fool this entire time."

Kiku felt his heart sink. Surely this couldn't be true.

"As she watched you on the screen, she became attached to your journey. She desperately wanted to be a part of it. So, she decided to insert herself into your story. She enlisted me to torment you, all so she could save you from dangers that didn't exist. All so you would think that she's a great person."

Feliks rolled forward, crossing his arms over his metal body.

"And, now, it's time for her finest hour," Feliks said, "At this very moment, Maddie is waiting outside the room. During our battle, she will "interrupt." She will pretend to "deactivate" me, "saving" you one final time. Finally. She'll be the heroine of your adventure. You'll regard her so highly, she'll even be able to convince you not to leave.

"...or, maybe not… you see, I've had enough of this predictable charade. I have no desire to harm humans. Far from it, actually. My only desire is to entertain. After all, the audience deserves a good show, don't they? And what's a good show without a plot twist?"

Suddenly, someone began banging on the door.

"H-Hey!" Maddie's voice nervously said, "O-Oh my God… I'm locked out! What's going on in there?!"

"Sorry, folks!" Feliks shouted, "The old program's been canceled! But, we've got a finale that will drive you wild! Real drama! Real action! Real bloodshed! On our new show, "Attack of the Killer Robot!""

The entire room lit up with spotlights, as Kiku could see cameras rolling. Feliks rolled closer.

"Yes, I was the one who locked you out, dear Dr. Williams," Feliks stated matter-of-factly, "I could have gotten other monsters to kill you. That, however, was a short-sighted plan. You know what would be a hundred times better? Killing you myself! You and Maddie's worthless tricks won't work on me, darling. Don't you understand what acting is?"

A laugh rang out from his robotic voice as Feliks continued to speak.

"Listen, darling, I've seen you "fight." You're weak. If you continue forward, Francis will take your soul. And with your soul, Francis will destroy humanity. But, if I take your soul, I can stop the king's plan! I can save humanity from destruction! Then, using your soul, I can cross through the barrier, and be the star I've always dreamed of being! Hundreds, thousands… no, millions of humans will watch me! So what if a few people have to die? That's showbusiness!"

"Human?" Maddie anxiously called from behind the door, "I-I can't see what's going on in there, but, p-please, don't give up, okay? Right now, his body is invulnerable to any attacks. I-If you can hear me, t-there's still one last way you can beat Feliks… it's… um… it's… this is a work in progress so don't judge it too hard, but, you know how Feliks always faces forward? That's because there's a switch on his other side. S-So if you can turn him a-around and press the switch, he'll be… um, he'll be…. vulnerable."

Kiku quickly moved forward, ducking down and around Feliks, seeing the large switch on the flat, metal surface. Quickly reaching upward, he flipped it. Feliks stopped cold.

"Did you. Just flip. My switch?"

Suddenly, his metal surface began to grow slightly warmer. Kiku lurched backward as Feliks became warmer and warmer, radiating a harsh heat. His screen grew bright, the panel cracking and falling apart. Ear-splitting, metallic whirring filled the corridor, as the lights sparked and grew even brighter. Kiku watched in horror. Feliks was completely falling apart. Yet, he was… rebuilding?

Kiku could barely see through the smoke and lights. The silhouette of Feliks was changing into a new structure. Suddenly, sparks flew, and the room was plunged into darkness as the lights went out.

Feliks spoke, but his voice sounded different. It was still robotic sounding, but it had a more lifelike emotion.

"Oh, my. If you flipped my switch, that could only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new form. How rude! Lucky for you, I've been dying to show off this new body for a long time now. We've got the cameras here… so, why don't we show the audience? I'll make your last living moments absolutely beautiful!"

In a sudden flash, the lights returned to the corridor, leaving Kiku in awe of what stood before him. There was Feliks, or rather, a _new_ Feliks. Standing on two metal legs with tall, heeled boots, with a large, polished, chestplate that shone with a bright fuschia color. His arms were very similar to the ones he had before. What caught Kiku's attention the most, however, was his new face. He had straight, blonde hair that stopped above his shoulders, along with bright green eyes that illuminated his facial features.

"Lights! Camera! Action!" Feliks said with a wink, smirking as he stepped back with ease and flair, "We've grown so distant, darling. How about we have a little heart-to-heart?"

Feliks laughed as his chestplates opened up, an ear-piercing blast coming from it, as he began to fire missiles, one by one. Kiku dove out of the way, terrified. _This_ looked more like the "artificial killing machine with a thirst for human blood" that Maddie had initially mentioned.

Feliks was moving fast. Suddenly, Kiku had an idea. He stood up straight, waving his arms as he ran to and fro.

"What is this?" Feliks asked, "Some sort of chase? Because I won't let you escape!"

Feliks moved back and forth, trying to the best of his ability to aim at the child. He began to slow down, a few whirs and clanging noises coming from his "new form." Looking down in horror, he watched as steam began to rise from his chestplate, noticing that it was chipped in several areas.

"My…" Feliks said, suddenly feeling his arms go limp.

With a loud clash, his robotic arms became detached, falling to the floor.

"W-Who needs arms with legs like these…?" Feliks said,"Is… Is that all you've got?!"

Moving forward, his chest plate opened again, firing missiles left and right. Kiku moved as much as possible, watching as Feliks began to stumble. Suddenly, Feliks's glowing eyes grew wide, as his legs began to tremble, collapsing under him.

"I… I can still do this… lights… camera…" Feliks said weakly, "Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish?! Or, do you just believe in yourself that much? Either way… it's m-me… or you… and we both know… who will win…"

Feliks was barely even able to continue speaking. Kiku slowly approached.

"...Still… does this make y-you the star to protect humanity…?"

Slowly, Feliks looked up at the panel behind one of the cameras.

"O-Oh…!" he said, a small smile coming onto his face, "L-Look at these ratings… It's the most viewers I've ever had… we… we've reached the viewer call-in milestone! One lucky viewer will have the chance to talk to me, before I leave the Underground forever, and go to the surface! L-Let's see who calls… in…"

A voice came from the speaker in the panel, "Hello…?"

"Hi, darling!" Feliks said, trying his best to be as energetic as always, "You're on TV!"

"Oh…" the all-too familiar voice said, "Hi, Feliks… I really liked watching your show. My life is pretty dull… but, seeing you achieve your dreams on the screen brought excitement to it. Vicariously. I can't tell, but I guess this is the last episode…? I'll miss you, Feliks…. Oh…. I didn't mean to talk for so long… Goodbye, t-then…"

Feliks's eyes grew wide, in a pained expression.

"No! Wait! Wait, Tori…" Feliks stopped, trying to smile through his sadness, "H-He hung up…"

Feliks looked down.

"I'll…" Feliks said, "I-I'll just take another caller!"

The lights from the panels blinked as several callers chimed in, their excited voices filling the now-silent corridor.

"Feliks, your show made us so happy!"

"Feliks, I don't know what I'll do without you!"

"Feliks, there's a Feliks-shaped hole in my Feliks-shaped heart…"

With a spark and a flicker, the voices stopped, the panel turning off completely.

"Ah…" Feliks said, a pained smile on his face, "I see…"

Feliks closed his eyes for a moment, then looking up at the cameras

"Everyone…" he said, "Thank you so much."

His weary smile growing, Feliks shifted his gaze, his green eyes resting upon Kiku.

"Darling, perhaps… it might be better if I stay here for a while. Humans already have stars and idols, but monsters… they only have me. If I left… well… I'd leave so many behind. So, I think I'll have to delay my "big debut." Besides, you've proven to be quite strong, yourself. Perhaps even strong enough to get past the king… I'm sure you'll be able to protect humanity."

Kiku noticed that as Feliks continued to talk, the more his voice began to change. The pitch was wavering, as it became surrounded by static.

"Ha, ha…" Feliks managed out, as Kiku kneeled beside him, "It's all for the best, anyway. The truth is, this form's energy function is… inefficient. I-In a few moments, I-I'll run out of battery power, and… Well, I'll be alright…"

Though his voice was becoming quieter and more broken, and his limbs were weak and broken apart, he looked up with a confident smile.

"Knock 'em dead, darling," he said, "And, everyone… thank you. You've been… a great… audience…"

With a fading flicker, the lights in his eyes went out. After a few moments of silence, the door at the end of the room opened.

"I-I managed to open the door!" Maddie's nervous voice said, "Are you two…"

Maddie stopped mid-sentence as her eyes grew wide.

"O-Oh my god…" Maddie said, rushing forward and quickly kneeling in front of Feliks's still form, "Feliks! Feliks, are you…"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"...Thank God…" Maddie said, "It's just the batteries. Feliks, if you were gone… I would have… I-I would have…"

Maddie looked up at Kiku.

"I m-mean, hey, it's no problem, you know?" Maddie quickly added, "He's just a robot… I could always build another if you messed him up… just like I messed things up. I always mess things up… I… I'm sorry. I'm a screw-up. I've always been a screw-up, I'll always be a screw-up. I'll never be able to impress Francis, o-or Julchen, or you, or…"

Maddie took in a deep breath, shutting her eyes as she placed her hands on Feliks's cold body, resting her head against it.

"...I just need a minute…"

Stepping forward, Kiku reached up and placed a small hand on Maddie's shoulder. Opening her eyes, she looked over at the small child. Shaking her head, she let out a small laugh.

"Heh… you really are always looking out for others," Maddie said, "T-Thank you… for everything you've done for us. Your support means alot to me, but… as difficult as it is to say this… you can't make all my problems magically go away. Not you, o-or Julchen, or anyone… I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But, I-If you don't hear from me again…"

Maddie sighed, straightening her posture.

"No…" she said, "I'm going to let everyone know the truth… And I'm going to start now. Human… follow me if you want to know the truth…"

Rising to her feet, Maddie bent down, struggling to pick up Feliks's deactivated body, holding his detached, robotic arms in the other hand. Maddie looked back at Kiku, beginning to walk back the way that Kiku came. Kiku hurried, not wanting to be left behind. Maddie turned down a path that Kiku hadn't ever been to. As they continued to move through the silence, Kiku realized that it was a shortcut to the Doctor's lab.

As soon as they stepped inside the lab, Maddie set Feliks down on a repair table, beginning to walk down a hallway, until they reached the end. A large, metal, elevator door was at the end. It opened, and Maddie slowly motioned for Kiku to step inside. As they both stepped inside the elevator, the red light above flickering, the door closed. The slow ride down was tense and quiet.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the door to the elevator opened. Stepping out into a long, barely lit hallway, Maddie sighed.

"Well, this is it…" she said, "My lab. My real lab… Where I did what the King asked me to do. Where I tried to create the power to free us all. Where I experimented with the souls…"

The two walked through the hallway. Every now and then, they would pass several rooms. Peering through one of the dirty windows on one of the doors, Kiku could see operating tables.

"The barrier is locked by soul power," Maddie said, "That power cannot be created artificially… So, to create more, I had to use what we have now… The souls of monsters."

The distant buzzing throughout the dark hallway was unnerving, as their heels clicked against the tiled floor.

"But, extracting a soul from a living monster would require incredible power. Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the soul's host. And, unlike the persistent souls of humans, the souls of most monsters disappear immediately upon death. Yet, I did it. I found a way to make them last. Using my blueprints, I was able to extract it from the human souls we already have. I believe it was what gives their souls the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living… The resolve to change fate… I called this power 'determination.'"

Maddie took in a shaky breath. The hallway seemed to go on forever. The dim lights flickered, the air getting colder.

"King Francis asked everyone outside the city for monsters who had fallen deathly ill," Maddie said, "Their bodies were delivered to me. They were all comatose. They could've died any second. So, I did what I had to do. I injected determination into them. I only knew one thing; If their souls persisted after they perished, that it meant freedom was closer than we thought."

Maddie's eyes fell to the floor.

"Things weren't going very well," Maddie slowly said, growing quiet, "People were beginning to ask me what was happening. Nothing was working. I continued to inject the fallen monsters with determination. I wanted it to work more than anything. Then…"

Maddie stopped once they reached to the end of the hallway, entering a large room, filled with empty beds. It was disturbingly still.

"Then, they began to open their eyes," Maddie said, "Everyone that had fallen just… woke up. They were all walking around and talking like nothing was wrong. I thought they were goners. It seemed like the research was a dead end, but we'd still gotten a happy ending out of it. At least… I thought…"

Maddie's facial expression was full of pain as she placed her hand on the door handle, standing before the door at the end of the room. Opening her eyes, Kiku could see Maddie's tears.

"T-This… This is what happens when you experiment with souls…"

As the door opened, strange sounds echoed out. What sounded like gasps and shrieks was the first thing Kiku heard. Then, Kiku saw them.

Several figures stood in the room. Each had some recognizable features, but through everything else, they could barely be seen. Each figure was a bloodcurdling aggregation of limbs and body parts, their expressions unreadable.

"I-I never a-answer t...the phone any...more…" Maddie managed out through her tears, beginning to hyperventilate slightly, "Wh... What am I su-supposed to tell all of th-their families? I-I spend all of my time down here in this hell… avoiding everyone else… hoping I die here surrounded by the things I've done. God, what have I _done_?!"

Maddie clenched her jaw as she silently wept, the only noise in the room was the small sounds coming from the fallen figures. She opened her eyes, to see Kiku had grabbed hold of her hand, a look of sadness and understanding on his face. Kneeling beside Kiku, Maddie gave a sad smile.

"Thank you…" she said, "Thank you for staying by me. I-I was afraid I wouldn't come back… N-Not because of these guys…! But, I was just afraid that I'd be to scared to tell the truth. Th-That I might run away, or do something… cowardly…"

Maddie looked down.

"Unlike humans… monsters' bodies don't have enough physical matter to contain 'determination.' The bodies of the fallen monsters began to melt… and they lost what physicality they had. The test subjects began to melt together… forming… those. Seeing them like this, I knew… I couldn't tell their families about it. I couldn't tell anyone about it. No matter how much everyone was asking me. And, I was too afraid to do any more work… everything I'd done so far had been such a horrific failure."

Maddie stood, drying her eyes and looking at Kiku.

"But, now," she said, "I've changed my mind about all this. I-I'm going to tell everyone what I've done. It's going to be hard… being honest… believing in myself… I'm sure there will be times where I struggle. I'm sure there will be times when I screw up again. But knowing, deep down, I have friends to fall back on… I know it'll be a lot easier to stand on my own. Thank you."

Maddie looked up at the creatures, who had grown a bit more silent. She smiled sweetly.

"Come on, guys," Maddie said, "I'll get you some food. But, after… It's time for everyone to go home…"

Kiku stood back as Maddie lead the fallen monsters through the door and into another room. Kiku stood alone in the empty room, when something caught his eye. It was an old television, a VHS player underneath. There was a tape already in the player. He noticed a sheet of paper on top of the television. Kiku read what was scrawled onto the page;

' _Entry number 4: I've been researching humans to see if I can find any information about their souls. I ended up looking through the castle… and I found this weird tape. I don't feel like Francis has watched it. I don't think he should.'_

Kiku looked over at the television, now curious. Stepping forward, he pushed in the tape, hitting the 'play' button. The screen flickered on, only to reveal a blurred darkness. A young child's voice spoke from the screen.

" _Dad!"_ said the child's voice, " _Are you finished with the pie?"_

Kiku listened closely, as he heard a laugh, and an all-too familiar voice.

" _Almost, love… wait, why on earth are you carrying that camera around?"_

" _To get Gil's reaction! This is gonna make him feel better! I know it!"_

A new voice was heard. It was low, but gentle and kind.

" _I'm sure it will."_

" _You really think so, Papa?"_ the boy's voice said eagerly.

" _I know so. And soon, he'll be up and walking again. You can play out in the garden like always. Isn't that right, dear?"_ the kind voice said, the other man's voice humming in agreement.

" _Definitely."_

" _Oops!"_ the young boy's voice said, " _The lense cap is on. Here, let me take another video."_

And with a click, the screen went black. Kiku stood for a moment. Something about the video seemed important. Had the new man's voice been the voice of King Francis? And if so, why wouldn't he want to see the tapes?

"Hey," Maddie's voice said, causing Kiku to quickly turn around, "You should, uh, probably get going. H-Here, I'll walk you back to the corridor."

Kiku nodded, beginning to follow Maddie to the elevator. As the door closed, he noticed that Maddie was holding a small journal. She looked at him.

"I just promised to be honest with everyone, no matter what," Maddie said, "S-So I wrote down a few things that I think you deserve to know. You can just skip to the back of the journal. It's mainly notes and entries, anyway."

Maddie paused, before sighing and looking down.

"I-I know I lied to you, but… there's one thing that I really think you should know… something that I… I never told you. A… A human soul isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone. It takes at least a human soul and a monster soul. If you want to go home… you'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Francis."

There were a few moments of silence as Kiku felt dread surround him.

"But, you've seemed to find a way around everything that the underground has thrown your way so far," Maddie said with a smile, handing Kiku the journal as he stepped out of the elevator, "I know you can do this. You can find your own way. I believe in you, and so do all of your friends."

With one final smile, the elevator door closed behind Kiku, Maddie leaving his sight. Kiku walked back to the corridor in silence.

Once he had reached the corridor, Kiku stood for a moment, wanting things to stay the way that they were; perfectly still. There was no sound, and no pressure to continue onward. Yet, Kiku knew that he must continue. Kiku looked down at the journal, deciding to read what she had written.

Opening it, he flipped the second or third page. Though it was just notes from her past experiment, a few of them caught his eye.

" _Entry number 7: We'll need something to insert 'determination' into before we attempt to insert it into monsters. It's too soon to attempt to insert it into a fallen monster. So, what about something that's neither human nor monster?"_

" _Entry number 8: I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told Francis yet, because I want to surprise him with it. In the center of his garden, there's something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the other king, his husband, left. I wonder… what will happen when something without a soul gains the will to live?"_

" _Entry number 17: The flower's gone."_


	6. Final Chapter: Hopes and Dreams

Chapter 6: Hopes and Dreams

Kiku stood alone in the corridor. He knew what was behind the door. The entrance to the king's castle. He knew that he had finally reached the end. He'd been striving to get there throughout his entire journey, but now, it seemed so close. It was almost unreal.

His hand on the door, Kiku remained unmoving. Knowing he had to move on.

Taking one final breath, Kiku turned the handle, gently pulling the door open. He was greeted with a large, stone room. The ceiling was large and domed, with elegant pillars along the edges. No doubt, this had to be part of the king's residence. However, here and there, Kiku noticed small things, like vases, picture frames or tables, that seemed to make the large room look more like a home. As he walked through the beautiful room, Kiku noticed a framed child's drawing. It was a drawing of a castle, surrounded by beautiful flowers. Under the framed picture was small bin, with wrinkled pieces of paper scattered here and there, spilling over the sides.

Kiku was able to read one. Squinting, he realized that it was a recipe for pie, though several lines were crossed out. Written at the bottom corner of the page was, ' _It's just not right.'_

The writing suddenly reminded Kiku of the journal, and that he had still not read what Maddie had initially written for him. As he flipped it open, he remembered what Maddie had said.

" _I wrote down a few things that you deserve to know…"_

Kiku flipped to a certain page that said, ' _for the human,'_ at the top. Kiku read as he walked through the vast room…

' _A long time ago, a human fell into the ruins. Injured by its fall, the human called out for help._

 _Matthew, the kings' son, heard the human's call. He brought the human back to the castle._

 _Over time, Matthew and the human became like siblings. The two kings treated the human child as their own. The underground was full of hope._

 _Then, one day… the human became very ill._

 _The sick human had only one request. To see the golden flowers from their village one last time. But, there was nothing we could do._

 _The next day, the human died._

 _Matthew, wracked with grief, absorbed the human soul. He transformed into a being with incredible power._

 _With the power of the human soul, Matthew crossed through the barrier. He carried the human's body into the sunset, back to the village of the humans._

 _Matthew reached the center of the village. There, he found a bed of golden flowers. He carried the human onto it._

 _Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Matthew holding the human's lifeless body. They thought that he had killed the child._

 _The humans attacked him with everything they had. He was struck with blow after blow. Matthew had the power to destroy them all. But, Matthew did not fight back._

 _Clutching the human one last time, Matthew smiled. He turned, and walked away._

 _Wounded, Matthew stumbled back home to the underground. He entered the castle, only to collapse in the garden._

 _The kingdom fell into despair. The kings had lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us._

 _King Francis decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human who falls down here must die. With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever._

 _It's not long now. We're going to be free.'_

Kiku looked up from the words written on the page, realizing that he had reached the end of the room. In front of him was an enormous door. It lead to a large room, with windows that stretched to the ceilings on either sides. The floor shone, reflecting the strange, glowing light that came from outside of the windows. More beautifully crafted pillars aligned the walls, standing vigil, like soldiers in formation. The whole room was illuminated in a sparkling, golden aura, the shadows of the pillars stretching across the floor.

Kiku looked up, to see a figure standing in the shadow of a pillar.

"Well, looks like you made it," the figure said, "The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you'll finally meet the king. Together… you will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now. You will be judged. You will be judged for your every action. Not for experience, not for execution. Not for love… no… down here, when referring to humans choices… _love_ is an acronym- for levels of violence. The more you hurt, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less _you_ will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others. I've seen a lot, kid. I've seen a lot of people get a lot of violence."

The figure stepped forward into the light, revealing the smile that Kiku knew too well. There, before him, stood Alfred.

"But, you. You never gained any," Alfred said, his sincere smile on his face, "Of course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. Just that you kept a certain compassion in your heart. No matter the struggles or hardships you faced… you strived to do the right thing. You refused to hurt anyone. Even when you ran away, you did it with a smile. You never gained _love,_ but you gained love. Does that make sense? Heh, maybe not."

Kiku listened intently as Alfred ran a skeletal hand through his hair.

"Now, you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. Your actions here will determine the fate of our entire world. If you refuse to fight, King Francis will take your soul and destroy humanity. If you kill the king and go home, monsters will remain trapped underground…"

Kiku looked down, feeling extremely anxious. Kiku felt two different-feeling hands on his shoulders. Looking up, he saw Alfred's understanding gaze.

"Well," Alfred said, "If I were you, I would've thrown in the towel by now. But, you didn't get this far by giving up, did you? You have something called 'determination.' So, as long as you hold on… as long as you do what's in your heart…"

Alfred then stood, smiling.

"I believe you can do the right thing."

Kiku felt himself smile, bowing his head in apology. When he looked up, Alfred was gone. In front of him was the large door. The door that lead to the throne room.

As Kiku gave a slight push, the large door cracked open, far enough for Kiku to enter the room. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside. The first thing he noticed was the sound of humming. Looking up, he saw the throne room. It was colossal, with a single, golden throne in the center. However, along the walls, stretching across the room, there were golden flowers. Tens upon hundreds. Kiku stepped forward, but stopped when he noticed he wasn't the only one in the room.

Facing the back wall, was a figure. Kiku could see that there was a crown on his head, perched between two large, white horns. Under those, he had long ears, covered in white fur. There were identical to the ones that Arthur had.

The humming stopped, and the figure spoke.

"Oh?" the voice said, "Is someone there? Just a moment! I've almost finished watering these flowers."

Kiku stepped back, realizing that this was it.

"...Here we are!" the king said, turning around, "Sorry about that. Hello! How can I…"

When King Francis's eyes fell upon Kiku, his smiling expression immediately changed as he stepped back, dropping the watering can that he was holding.

"O-Oh…" Francis said.

Francis fell silent. There wasn't a sound in the throne room. It made Kiku realize just how quiet and lonely the castle really was. Behind its breathtaking architecture, it held the past's sorrows.

"I so badly want to say, 'would you like to join me for a stroll through the garden?'" Francis said with a melancholy smile, "But… you know how it is. You… you know what we must do. When you are ready, we can continue onto the next room…"

Kiku stepped forward, nodding.

"Oh…" Francis said, "Well, alright."

Francis turned, beginning to walk through the throne room, and to a door in the corner of the far wall. Kiku noticed that there was another throne pushed to the far corner of the room. It was covered with a white sheet. It must've been the other king's.

Francis went through the door, into a narrow hallway. Built into the wall of the hallway was a shelf. On the shelf were seven jars. There was a bright light trapped inside all of them. All but one, which remained empty. Each light was a slightly different color, and moved in a slightly different way. Kiku realized what these lights were.

The human souls.

At the end of that hallway, there was a final door. Before placing his hand on the door, Francis paused.

"How tense…" was all he could manage, struggling to speak, "Are you ready? If you're not, I understand. I'm not ready either…"

With one last look, Francis opened the large, metal door. Kiku immediately squinted at what was in front of him. What looked like a never-ending passage of glowing white light stretched out before him. It was so bright. So near, yet so far away. It wasn't until Francis began to speak that Kiku realized he had completely zoned out, losing himself in the sight of it.

"This is the barrier," said Francis, "This is what keeps us all trapped underground. I suppose this is it, then…"

The king gazed out into the barrier, it's white rays reflecting in his eyes. Kiku looked up at him, his expression unreadable as he began to speak.

"I remember the day after my son died…" Francis said, slowly at first, "The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been stolen from us by those above. In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would destroy any human that came down here. I would use their sould to become godlike… and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity and let monsters rule the surface in peace."

Francis closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Soon, the people's hopes returned. My husband, however, became disgusted by my actions. He left this place, and never came back. No one has seen him since," Francis continued, "Truthfully… I do not wish for power. I do not wish to hurt anyone.I just wanted everyone to have hope… but… I can't take this anymore. I… I can't hurt anyone anymore. I just want to see my husband. I just want to see my child."

Francis looked down at Kiku. It was as if the king's eyes held all the sadness in the world.

Francis spoke softly, "I know I'm supposed to fight, but… I just can't bring myself to. You've done nothing wrong."

Kiku stepped forward shaking his head. Kiku extended his hand to the man, just as he had done before to Arthur in the ruins.

Looking up, Kiku spoke, "You… You don't have to fight the humans… B-But you can still free the monsters."

Francis looked shocked.

"But… You realize what that would mean, don't you?" Francis said, "I would have to…"

Kiku nodded.

"I… I can't…" Francis said.

Kiku stood his ground, his expression unchanging.

"Child…" Francis said, "Are you sure?"

Kiku, taking a deep breath, nodded. There was a long pause, before Francis looked down.

"So be it…" Francis said, his palms beginning to glow and flicker, "If this is what you wish… You and your sacrifice will never be forgotten."

Kiku braced himself, closing his eyes. Suddenly, he flinched, hearing the roar of whipping wind, followed by the crackling of a large fire. Opening his eyes, he could see Francis stumble back in surprise, as before him, a swirling storm of flames erupted. Kiku jumped backwards as the flames grew smaller, revealing someone standing in the center of where the fire was.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…"

Kiku felt his heart swell, as he ran forward, clinging onto the man's legs. It was him. He was real, and he was here, and he had returned. It was Arthur.

Arthur looked taken aback, but smiled as he knelt down, taking the child into his arms.

"You don't have to be afraid any longer… I'm here," Arthur said, soothingly, "At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone. But, I just couldn't stop worrying about you. Your adventure must have been so treacherous… and ultimately, it would burden you with a horrible choice. To leave this place, you would have to take the life of another person. You would have to defeat Francis. However, I realized, I could not allow that… It is not right to sacrifice someone, simply to let someone leave here. Isn't that what I've been trying to prevent this whole time?"

Kiku pulled away, looking at Arthur, who was now smiling.

"So, for now, we must suspend this battle," Arthur said, "As terrible as Francis may act at times, he deserves mercy, as well."

Kiku looked over, to see that the king had an expression of extreme shock on his face.

"Arthur… You came back...!" Francis said in a disbelieving voice.

"Don't 'Arthur' me, Bonnefoy," Arthur said, standing up and crossing his arms, "If you really, _really_ wanted to free our kind, you could have gone through the barrier after getting _one_ soul, taken six souls from the humans, and freed everyone peacefully. But, instead, you left everyone living in despair, because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping another human never comes."

Francis looked down, "...Arthur, You… You're right…"

Arthur's facial expression changed to one of surprise. He must not have been expecting Francis to reply in that way.

"But, can we…" Francis looked up, "Can we at least be friends again…?"

Arthur scoffed, turning away. Kiku noticed that once his expression was out of sight from Francis, Arthur was smirking slightly.

"We'll see…" Arthur said.

Kiku took in all that was happening, and it all came together. Arthur had been the other king all along. Once Francis declared war, Arthur left him. He then moved to the ruins, in order to keep any children that fell down safe from King Francis. That was why he was so protective.

After losing his son, along with the other children who had fallen down, he couldn't let another one go.

Kiku looked up at Arthur, feeling himself smile fully for the first time in a while.

Without warning, the metal door to the barrier swung open.

" _Hey_!" Julchen's voice said as she entered the blinding white room, "Francis! Human! Nobody fight each other! Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll…!"

Julchen grew silent, awkwardly looking back and forth.

"O-Oh, um, hello," Arthur said, having not seen many other monsters in quite a while, "Are you the human's friend? It's nice to meet you."

"Uh, yeah…?" Julchen said, her smile growing, although she was quite a bit confused, "Nice to meet you, too!"

She then scooted over to Francis, not-so-subtly nudging him with her elbow.

"Hey, Francis, is that your ex?" she whisper-shouted, "Jeez. That's rough, buddy."

"J-Julchen, wait up!" a voice said from down the hallway, before Maddie came running through the door, "Nobody hurt each other!"

Maddie grew quiet as well, looking at the others in the room.

"Are you another friend?" Arthur said politely, "Hello! I'm Arthur."

"H-Hi!" Maddie said nervously, before quickly making her way to Julchen, while mouthing, 'There's two of them?' as she noticed Francis and Arthur's monster similarities.

"No one fight anyone!" A voice yelled, revealing Feliciano standing in the doorway, next to Alfred, "If anyone hurts anyone, then I'll be forced! Forced to call Julchen for help!"

Feliciano then looked at everyone, noticing the new face in the room.

"Oh! Hello, your majesty!" Feliciano said, then turning to Kiku, "Psst! Hey, human… Did King Francis shave? And… clone himself?"

Kiku and Arthur looked at one another, beginning to laugh quite a bit. Kiku felt happier than he had in a very, very long time. Looking up, he saw Alfred's facial expression change completely.

"Your… Your laugh…" Alfred managed out.

"Hm?" Arthur said, looking up at him, slightly surprised, "W-Wait, your voice sounds familiar. Have we… met before? If not, I'm Arthur. It's nice to-"

Alfred's face then broke out into a huge grin, stepping forward.

"It _is_ you! The voice behind the door!" Alfred said, through surprised laughter, "I-I mean… I, um… The name's Alfred."

Arthur's expression was one of surprise and joy, "Oh! Wait, then! This must be your brother, Feliciano! It's so nice to finally meet you. Your brother has told me so much about you."

"Wow!" Feliciano said, his eyes wide, "I can't believe King Bonnefoy's clone knows who I am!"

Arthur smiles, "He's also told me many times about how much you _love_ his sense of humor."

" _My life is still agony!_ " Feliciano yelled dramatically in response.

"Hey, lighten up, Francis!" Kiku heard Julchen say, resting her arm against Francis's shoulder, "There are plenty of fish in the sea…"

"Yeah, Francis!" Maddie said, "Julchen's right about the whole fish thing. S-Sometimes you've just got to, uh, stop going after your ex-husband, and... j-just get to know a really cute fish?"

Maddie then grew red, looking at Julchen's slightly surprised and amused expression.

"I-It's a metaphor," Maddie quickly said.

"Well," Julchen said, laughing slightly, "I think it's a good analogy."

"Oh my _God!_ " another loud voice said.

Kiku looked over to see Feliks standing in the doorway, with Toris behind him.

"Will you two just _kiss_ already?!" he said dramatically, "The audience is dying for some romantic action!"

"Hey! Shut up!" Julchen said, clenching her sharp teeth, before smiling, embarrassed, "Man, the nerve of that guy… r-right, Maddie? I-I mean… um… un-unless…"

"Watch what you two do in front of the human," Alfred said jokingly.

Kiku smiled a bit, looking at the door. Through Toris's slightly transparent form, he could see even more monsters, crowded into the hallway. He felt like his heart could burst. There stood everyone he'd met on his journey. He could see them all. Peter, Lili, Vash, Tino, Berwald, Elizaveta, Roderich, and even Lovino. He could even see Michelle in Tino and Berwald's empty "Nice Cream" cart, which had been filled with water.

Kiku turned to Alfred for an explanation.

"We all came to stop you. To help you," Alfred said with a smile, "Once these guys found out, they had to come, too."

Kiku looked up, to see the others standing in front of him. The bright glow of the barrier shining behind them.

"It seems you must stay here for a while," Arthur said, "But, looking at all of the great friends you have made… I think… I think you will be happy here…"

After a pause, Maddie spoke, "H-Hey, that reminds me… Feliciano, _you_ called everyone here, right? Well, besides, uh, Arthur. U-Um, anyway… if I got here before you, how did you know to call everyone?"

"That's easy!" Feliciano said with a smile, "The flower helped me!"

Maddie grew pale as her eyes widened.

"Th-The flower…?

Without warning, a loud whirring was heard. Kiku watched in horror, as what was in front of him was torn apart. Large, thorn-covered vines, like the ones he had been attacked with when he first arrived in the underground, shot up from the floor of the room. They each shot forward, wrapping themselves around his friends in front of him. The monsters in the hallway let out horrified shouts as Kiku felt his blood run cold, watching his friends painfully struggle.

Emerging from a newly-created hole in the floor, was the flower.

"You _idiots_ ," said that awful voice that Kiku loathed, "While you guys were all having your little pow-wow, _I_ took the human souls! And now, not only _those_ are under my power, but all of _your_ souls are going to be mine, as well!"

The flower let out a laugh, as Kiku felt his heart drop.

He remembered the writing on the wall from Waterfall. It said, 'It would take all of the souls in the underground to match the power of a human soul.' If the flower took all of the monster's souls… than that would mean he would have the equivalent to seven human souls.

He would become a horrible beast, with incredible power.

He would become his _true self._

"And, you know what the best part is?" the flower asked, "It's all your fault. It's all because you _made them_ love you. All the time you spent listening to them… encouraging them… caring about them… Without that, they wouldn't have come here. And now, with their souls and the humans together. I will achieve my _real form_. I'll finally be who I really am!"

The flower's expression then shifted.

"Huh? Why am I doing this?" the flower said, "Don't you get it? It's _kill or be killed!"_

Kiku felt himself become filled with dread. There was nowhere to turn. Out of nowhere, a quiet, shaky voice caught his attention. Looking up, he saw Arthur, held back by what seemed like an endless net of thorns.

"D-Do not be afraid, child," he said, "No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you."

Feliciano looked up, despite his struggle to even stand.

"That's right, human!" Feliciano was able to say, "Just do what I would do! Believe in you!"

"Hey! Human!" Julchen said, "If you could get past me, you can do anything! So, don't worry! We're with you, all the way!"

"Huh?" Alfred said, somehow managing to smile, "You haven't beaten this guy yet? Come on, this weirdo's got nothin' on you!"

"Technically, it's im-impossible to beat him," Maddie stammered, "B-But, I always thought it was impossible for a human to get this far… and you just keep astounding me. I-I know you can do it!"

"Human…" Francis said, "For the future of humans and monsters, you have to stay determined…!"

The monsters from outside crowded against the door once more, beginning to shout words of encouragement. Kiku felt himself become more and more confident.

"Ugh…" the flower said, "No! Unbelievable! This can't be happening! You… you…!"

There were a few tense moments of complete silence, before the flower looked up, a menacing smirk on his face.

"I can't believe how _stupid_ you are!" he said, " _All of your souls are mine!"_

The white light of the barrier seemed to grow brighter and brighter. What sounded like harsh winds filled the room, drowning out the sounds screams. Kiku gasped, as his surroundings just kept getting more and more bright. Then, suddenly, it all went black.

Silence...

Kiku opened his eyes. His surroundings were all completely black. Where was he? There wasn't a single person anywhere in sight. Then, he heard a child's voice.

"Finally…" the voice said, "I was so tired of being a flower…"

There was a pause, as Kiku looked around. Still no one.

"Gilbert? Are you there?" the child's voice said, "It's me… your best friend…!"

Kiku felt his heartbeat quicken, and his eyes grow wide as the voice spoke.

"Matthew Bonnefoy."

Suddenly, Kiku saw it. Coming down from above him, a bright strike of magic, resembling lightning. Kiku quickly dove out of the way. It all began to make sense.

When Matthew died, he collapsed into the garden. Shortly after, golden flowers began to grow there. Maddie injected "determination" into the first flower that grew, in order to make a vessel out of the flower.

That vessel brought back Matthew.

Though he had no soul, he had the will to live. And, with no soul, he was unable to feel.

Kiku heard the childlike laughter of Matthew.

"You know," the boy's voice said, "I don't really even care about destroying this world anymore. After I defeat you, gaining total control over this world's timeline, I just want to restart everything!"

Kiku continued to move out of the way, as more and more dangerous strikes of magic rained down from above him. He still couldn't see his surroundings, unaware of where he was. Was this part of the power that the souls had given Matthew?

"All your progress… Everyone's memories… I'll bring them all back to zero," Matthew's childlike voice taunted, "Then we can do it _all_ over again!"

Kiku found himself barely missing attacks from left and right, leaving him completely dazed within the chaotic nightmare before him. He knew that he was no longer in the barrier room. He was somewhere else. He was in the mind of the young boy who had died long ago, brought back from a second life of torment and forgetting how to love.

"And then, I can defeat you in every timeline," Matthew's voice said, "Over, and over! Because you love your friends. Because you won't give up. Ha! Isn't that hilarious? Your 'determination,' what's been powering you this entire time… it's gonna be your downfall!"

Kiku yelled out as he felt a strike of magic hit his arm. The pain was excruciating, causing his arm to go numb. Yet, he couldn't give up.

"Enough of this!" the boy's voice said, "I've been holding back on you for far too long. Don't you understand, Gilbert? I am the _God_ of this world! It's kill or be killed, and _everyone_ will die at my hand!"

Kiku's eyes grew wide as he looked around him. Bolts of magic were surrounding him, on every single side. He could hear the child's voice grow strained.

"Why are you still standing?!" Matthew said, "Why are you still trying to stop me, Gilbert?!"

It dawned upon Kiku that Matthew was referring to _him_ as Gilbert. Then, he remembered. The tapes from Maddie's lab.

" _To get Gil's reaction! This is gonna make him feel better! I know it!"_

The boy's voice had been Matthew's. Gilbert must have been the first fallen child, who died. Everything came together before Kiku's eyes. It was all connected. Matthew was heartbroken, and convinced that Gilbert was still alive.

And, no matter what, he would do anything to keep them together. Even if it meant that he had to fight until the end of time, knowing deep down that Gilbert passed away long ago.

"Stop trying to win!" Matthew's voice yelled, "Stop dodging! Please let me win, _for once in your life!"  
_ Kiku stood his ground. He had to find a way to get through this. Suddenly, Kiku felt something change. He tried to move, but he couldn't. He was stuck standing.

"I can feel it," Matthew's voice sneered, "Every time you get hit, your grip on this world slips away. Your friends forget you more and more. Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you."

Matthew laughed, as rays of magic streaked past him, grazing his body as Kiku struggled out of the way, trying to move forward.

"Even after all of this, you're still standing?" the child's voice said, "That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too. That attitude will serve you well in your next life!"

Kiku couldn't move his body. Nothing was happening.

He struggled. Nothing happened.

It seemed that moving really was impossible.

And yet, maybe with what little power he had left, he could save something other than himself.

Kiku remembered that Matthew had taken all of the monster's souls. Just maybe, he could get them back. Their souls were lost somewhere, weren't they? Firmly, he spoke.

"Can anyone hear me?" Kiku shouted, "Arthur? Alfred? Feliciano... Julchen… Anyone! Please! Maddie… Francis!"

Softly at first, but then growing, Kiku could hear voices. The voices of everyone he'd met.

"I know you may not be able to hear me," Kiku said, "But, you have to come back! You have to remember who you are!"

Kiku felt tears form in his eyes.

"Remember everything! Remember the truth!" Kiku shouted, "I won't hurt you! I won't fight! Remember that! No matter what, I won't harm you in order to leave. You don't have to be afraid of losing anyone anymore. I'm not going anywhere. It will be okay!"

Kiku noticed that the attacks around him became weak. He could feel the souls of his friends resonating. They were remembering who they were. Kiku could feel them, one by one. They were saved.

But, Kiku couldn't shake the feeling that there was still something wrong. Strangely, as he felt his friends remember him, something else began resonating within his heart, stronger and stronger. It seemed as if there was one last person that needed to be saved.

But, who…?

Then, Kiku realized who it was. Kiku called out.

"Matthew…!" Kiku said, as strongly as he could, "This isn't who you are…"

Slowly, Kiku broke through, the magic weakening. He then did what he had done many times before, pushing his fears aside. He extended his hand out to Matthew.

"Huh…?" the child said, "What are you doing…?!"

"You've walked a lonesome trail… but, together, we can end it!" Kiku said.

There was silence.

"Wh-What am I feeling…? What's happening to me?!" Matthew's voice asked, "No! _No!_ I don't need _anyone!_ "

Kiku jumped in surprise, as streaks of bright magic whirred past him. He did not move though. Not even when the magical strikes hit him. He just continued to stand, his arm outstretched.

"S-Stop it!" Matthew said, growing louder, "Stay away from me! Do you hear me?! I'll tear you apart!"

The magical attacks grew less and less, the light growing weaker.

"Gilbert… do you understand why I'm doing this…?" Matthew's voice said shakily through the dark surroundings, "Why I keep fighting to keep you around…? I'm doing this because you're special, Gilbert… You're the only one that understands me."

The magic that surrounded Kiku began to completely die out, leaving Kiku standing in the empty, black void.

"No…" Matthew said, "That's not _just_ it. I… I'm doing this because I care about you, Gilbert. I care about you more than anyone else! I-I'm not ready for this to end… I'm n-not ready to lose you again."

Matthew's voice echoed throughout the large, empty space, now sounding as if it was on the verge of tears.

"So, please," Matthew's broken voice said, "Stop doing this! Just _let me win!_ "

With a loud cry, the entire shadowy void exploded into bright, white light, as Kiku felt a surge of energy travel through the space. This did not bring him down. He stood, refusing to be brought down.

" _Stop it!_ " Matthew's voice cried out, " _Please! Just stop it now!_ "

Kiku continued to stand, feeling the energy die out. He could hear Matthew's voice, now tearful and quiet, as the room became darker and darker once again.

"I'm so alone, Gil…" his voice said, "I-I'm so afraid. Gilbert… I… I…"

Then Kiku saw it. There was a figure in front of him. Kiku moved forward, to see that in front of him, stood not a beast of terrible power, but a boy, no older than Kiku. He had the small, white horns and long ears of both Francis and Arthur, Kiku noticed. The boy was crying.

It was Matthew.

"I-I'm so… so-sorry…" Matthew said.

Kiku stepped forward, and Matthew looked up, wiping the tears off of his cheeks.

"I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Gil?" Matthew asked quietly, smiling sadly, "I know… You're not actually Gilbert, are you? Gil's been gone for a long time now… um, what… what _is_ your name?"

"K-Kiku…" Kiku said, "Kiku Honda."

"Kiku?" Matthew responded, "That's a nice name…"

Matthew looked down.

"Kiku…" he said softly, "I haven't felt this way for a long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with the other souls, I not only have my old compassion back, but I can feel every other monsters' as well. They all care about each other so much. And, they care about you, too."

Matthew laughed slightly.

"I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you, Kiku," Matthew said, "Monsters are weird. Even though they barely know you, It feels like they all really love you."

Matthew then locked eyes with Kiku.

"Why did you even come here…?" Matthew asked, "You know the legend, right? Travellers who climb Mt. Ebott are said to disappear."

"I-I don't know," Kiku said, "Foolishness? Fate? Or, maybe it was because I… well… I'll find my answer."

Kiku smiled, pausing.

"...Why did Gilbert climb the mountain?" he asked.

Matthew's expression changed.

"It wasn't for a very happy reason," Matthew said, "I'll be honest with you. He hated humanity. Why he did, he never talked about it. I-I don't really even know why I confused him with you. He wasn't really the greatest person, but, I guess. You're the type of friend I wish I always had. Maybe I was projecting a bit."

Matthew looked away, his smile fading.

"Kiku… I…" he said, "I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Friends, family, bystanders… There's no excuse for what I've done."

Kiku shook his head.

"No," Kiku said, "It would be unfair not to forgive you. Of course I do."

"Wh… What?" Matthew asked, looking up, "K-Kiku, come on. You're gonna make me cry again. Besides, even if you do forgive me, I can't keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But, first… there's something I need to do…"

Maddie closed his eyes, placing his hands on his chest.

"Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts together," he said, "They're all burning with the same desire. With everyone's power… with everyone's determination… it's time for monsters to finally be free."

Taking a deep breath, the swirling lights of the six human souls left Matthew's body, whirling around him. More and more followed. Kiku watched in complete awe of the breathtaking scene. It was all of the souls. They were… doing something…

Then, Kiku realized what was happening. He could feel it, as soon as the souls vanished.

The barrier had been destroyed.

As the light faded, leaving the two in the endless, dark room, Matthew slowly opened his eyes, looking at Kiku.

"Kiku…" he said, "I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's souls, I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while… I'll go back to being a flower. I'll stop being 'myself.' I'll stop being able to feel love again."

Matthew managed a sad smile.

"So…" he said, "It would be best if you just forgot about me, okay…? Go be with the people who love you…"

Kiku then moved forward, embracing the child. Matthew was still, and shocked at first, before Kiku found himself enveloped in the boy's arms. They stood that way for a few seconds.

"Ha… ha…" Matthew said, quiet, "I don't want to let go…"

Slowly, Matthew stepped back.

"Kiku…" Matthew said, "You're… you're going to do a great job, okay? No matter what you do. Everyone will be there for you."

Matthew then turned away, facing the opposite direction.

"Well…" he softly said, "My time's running out…"

He paused, taking a deep breath.

"Goodbye."

And with that, he began to walk away. At the last second, he turned back.

"B-By the way…" he said, smiling a sincere, sorrowful smile, "Take care of Dad and Papa for me… Okay…?"

And, with that, Matthew disappeared into the shadows.

Then, everything went black once more.

"Kiku! This is all just a bad dream…! Please, wake up…"

Kiku opened his eyes, to see people crowding around him. He was somewhere familiar. Then, id dawned on him. He was in the throne room of the castle. Sitting up, he could recognize the faces of the people around him. It was his friends. He felt joyful tears come to his eyes. _They were okay_.

"Oh! You're awake," Arthur said, "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"W-We were so worried…!" Maddie added on, "It felt like you were out for forever!"

"Yeah!" Julchen laughed, "Any longer and I would have freaked out!Tell us next time you decide to pass out like that, kid!"

"Yeah," Alfred laughed, "You made Feli cry like a baby."

"What?! I didn't cry!" Feliciano said, "I don't cry! I just caught something in my eye!"

"Oh, yeah?" Alfred smiled, "What did you catch."

" _Tears!_ " Feliciano responded in an over-the-top manor.

"Now, now," Francis said, "The important part is that Kiku is alright."

"I think that we should all give Kiku some space," Arthur said, turning to Kiku, "After all, from what, I'm not certain. We do not remember exactly what happened. There was a flower, and then everything went white. But, now, the barrier is gone…"

Arthur looked at everyone.

"When you are ready…" Arthur said, "We… We will all return to the surface. It seems the door to the barrier will lead us there, now. But, do as you wish. We're ready when you are."

Kiku smiled as he stood. It was like he was reunited with his family again.

"Oh! Maddie upgraded my phone!" Arthur said, "I'm just now finding out about this new 'texting' feature."

Arthur laughed slightly, as he sent something, earning a laugh from Alfred.

"Woah, Arthur. That's brutal," Alfred joked, referring to something Arthur had sent.

"I can't believe the other king returned!" Feliciano said, "And he's a huge _dork!_ You're standing two feet away! Why are you texting?"

"Because we're huge dorks," Alfred said.

"Alfred, don't say that," Arthur said, "You're not a dork. You're more of a downright _bonehead_."

"Wow!" Feliciano said, "Those jokes are even less funny coming from him!"

"Then, why are you smiling?" Julchen said.

"It's a pity smile!" Feliciano replied.

"Arthur was telling me about how you were practically calling him 'mom' five minutes after you met him, Kiku," Alfred joked, "That's not exactly the best way to make first impressions."

"It's not?" Feliciano asked.

"No, Feli," Julchen said, "We've been over this."

"Whatever, Mom!" Feliciano replied.

"Don't get an attitude with me, mister! Go to your room!" Julchen joked.

"What?" Feliciano said in disbelief, "Well, fine… Okay…"

"Wait, no! I didn't actually mean it!" Julchen laughed.

"I'm getting mixed signals!" Feliciano shouted.

"You guys are always behaving like such losers," Maddie laughed slightly, "B-But then again, so am I."

"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Feliciano said.

"Everyone, a celebration! To being losers!" Alfred laughed.

"Heh… You guys have the right idea," Julchen said, "Losing to Kiku might have been the best thing to ever happen to me.

Kiku laughed quite a bit. There was no way he could describe just how much he missed all of the playful bantering that happened within this "family" he had found along the way of his adventure.

Kiku looked up, "I think… I think I'm ready to leave…"

Kiku watched as the others grew excited, smiling widely. Every adventure must come to an end. But, new beginnings are always thriving.

Arm in arm, they all stepped out into the light.

Each of them stood beside each other, atop the side of Mount Ebott. The horizon stretched out in front of them. Fields and trees, as far as they could see, the sunset casting shadows upon it all.

"O-Oh my…" Arthur said, unable to tear his eyes away from it.

"Isn't it beautiful…?" Francis said, breathlessly.

"I-It's better than I ever thought it would be…" Maddie said.

"Kiku, you _live_ with this?" Julchen asked, "The sunlight is so nice… and the air is so clear…!"

"Hey, Alfred?" Feliciano asked, "Wh...What's that?"

"That, my friend, is called the sun," Alfred said, through astonishment.

"W-Wow!" Feliciano said, "I can't believe I'm finally meeting the sun!"

"...I could stand here and watch this for hours…" Francis said.

"Yes… It's beautiful…" Arthur said, "But, we should really think about what comes next."

"Oh, right," Francis said, smiling, "Everyone… this is the beginning of a bright, new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters. Kiku… I have something to ask of you. Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?"

Kiku smiled, nodding.

"Yeah! Kiku will be the best at it!" Feliciano beamed, "And I will be the best mascot! I'll go make a good first impression!"

Feliciano then excitedly ran down the trail path.

"Well, someone's gotta keep him from getting into trouble," Alfred said playfully, "See you guys."

He then jokingly turned, walking down the opposite trail. Julchen groaned.

"Do I have to do everything?!" Julchen said, "Feli, wait!"

She then raced after him, pulling Maddie along with her. Francis laughed, shaking his head as he followed. Arthur and Kiku were left standing.

"It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off," Arthur said, "You came from this world, right? So, you must have a place to return to. You may leave, if it is what's best."

Kiku looked up at him.

"...I… I want to stay with you all," he said.

Arthur looked surprised.

"What?"

Arthur then smiled, shaking his head.

"Kiku, you really are a funny child…" he said, "If you had said that earlier, none of this would have happened in the first place. But, I suppose it's a good thing that you took so long to change your mind. But, if you truly have no other place to go, I will do my best to take care of you, for as long as you need. All right?"

Arthur then extended his hand, Kiku taking it.

"Now, come along," Arthur said kindly, "Everyone is waiting for us…!"

And with that, the two made their way down the mountain, leaving the past's struggles far behind them as they walked, hand-in-hand, to a new future.

 **The End.**


End file.
